Antibodies to ntb-a

ABSTRACT

Anti-NTB-A antibodies and antigen-binding fragments thereof, as well as pharmaceutical compositions comprising such antibodies and antigen-binding fragments are described. Also described are methods of using such antibodies and antigen-binding regions to bind NTB-A and treat diseases, such as hematologic malignancies, which are characterized by expression of NTB-A.

This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 60/840,628 filed Aug. 28, 2006.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to anti-NTB-A antibodies and to bindingepitopes of NTB-A used to produce such antibodies. The invention alsorelates to methods of using such antibodies to diagnose and treat NTB-Aassociated diseases including cancer.

SEQUENCE LISTING

The sequences of the polynucleotides and polypeptides of the inventionare listed in the Sequence Listing and are submitted on a compact disccontaining the file labeled “NUVO-28PCT.ST25.txt”-31.9 KB (32,762 bytes)which was created on an IBM PC, Windows 2000 operating system on Aug.10, 2007 at 9:44:18 AM. The Sequence Listing entitled “NUVO-28.5T25.txt”is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Antibody therapy for cancer often involves the use of antibodies, orantibody fragments, against a tumor antigen to target antigen-expressingcells. Antibodies, or antibody fragments, may have direct or indirectcytotoxic effects on cancer cells. Direct effects include the inductionof apoptosis, the blocking of growth factor receptors, and anti-idiotypeantibody formation. Indirect effects include antibody-dependentcell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement-mediated cellularcytotoxicity (CDC). When conjugated or fused to cytotoxic moieties, theantibodies, or fragments thereof, provide a method of targeting thecytotoxic moiety towards the tumor antigen-expressing cells (Green, etal., Cancer Treatment Reviews, 26:269-286 (2000)).

Because antibody therapy typically targets cells expressing a particularantigen, there is a possibility of cross-reactivity with those normalcells or tissues that express the same or a highly similar antigen.Although some cells, such as hematopoietic cells, are readilyregenerated, cross-reactivity with many non-cancerous cells or tissuescan lead to detrimental results. Thus, considerable research has focusedon identifying tumor-specific antigens. Such antigens are found almostexclusively on tumors or are expressed at a greater level in tumor cellsthan the corresponding normal tissue. Tumor-specific antigens providetargets for anti-cancer therapies. Antibodies specific to suchtumor-specific antigens can be conjugated to cytotoxic compounds or canbe used alone in immunotherapy. Immunotoxins target cytotoxic compoundsto induce cell death. For example, anti-CD22 antibodies conjugated todeglycosylated ricin A may be used for treatment of B cell lymphoma thathas relapsed after conventional therapy (Amlot, et al., Blood82:2624-2633 (1993)).

Immunotherapy provides a method of harnessing the immune system to treatvarious pathological states, such as cancer, autoimmune disease,transplant rejection, hyperproliferative conditions, inflammatorydiseases, and allergic reactions. The immune system functions toeliminate organisms or cells that are recognized as non-self, includingmicroorganisms, neoplasms and transplants. A cell-mediated host responseto tumors includes the concept of immunologic surveillance, by whichcellular mechanisms associated with cell-mediated immunity, destroynewly transformed tumor cells after recognizing tumor-associatedantigens (i.e., antigens associated with tumor cells that are notapparent on normal cells). Furthermore, a humoral response totumor-associated antigens enables destruction of tumor cells throughimmunological processes triggered by the binding of an antibody to thesurface of a cell, such as ADCC and CDC.

Recognition of an antigen by the immune system can trigger a cascade ofevents including cytokine production, B-cell proliferation, andsubsequent antibody production. Often tumor cells have reducedcapability of presenting antigen to effector cells, thus impeding theimmune response against a tumor-specific antigen. In some instances, thetumor-specific antigen may not be recognized as non-self by the immunesystem, preventing an immune response against the tumor-specific antigenfrom occurring. In such instances, stimulation or manipulation of theimmune system provides effective techniques of treating cancersexpressing one or more tumor-specific antigens.

For example, rituximab (RITUXAN®, Biogen IDEC, Inc., Cambridge, Mass.,USA) is a chimeric antibody directed against CD20, a B cell-specificsurface molecule found on >95% of B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (Press,et al., Blood 69:584-591 (1987); Malony, et al., Blood 90: 2188 (1997)).Rituximab induces ADCC and inhibits cell proliferation through apoptosisin malignant B cells in vitro (Maloney, et al., Blood 88 637a (1996)).Rituximab is currently used as a therapy for advanced stage or relapsedlow-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which has not responded toconventional therapy.

Several cell surface molecules that participate in B-cell and T-cellactivation are expressed predominantly in several hematologicmalignancies, such as leukemias and lymphomas. A significant number ofthese molecules, such as CD2 and CD48, belong to the immunoglobulin (Ig)superfamily, which is involved in processes such as adhesion, migration,proliferation, differentiation, and effector function of leukocytes (dela Fuente, et al., Blood 90:2398-2405 (1997)). In vivo studies haveshown that administration of CD2 and CD48 monoclonal antibodies inhibitT-cell responses and prolong allograft survival (Guckel, et al., J. Exp.Med. 174:957-967 (1991); Qin, et al., J. Exp. Med. 179:341-346 (1994)).NTB-A, a member of the CD2 family, is expressed on hematopoietic tissuesand cells, primarily lymphocytes and monocytes (Bottino et al., J. Exp.Med. 194:235-246 (2001); U.S. Pat. No. 7,029,677) and may play a role inleukocyte activation. NTB-A, functions as a co-receptor in inducingnatural killer (NK) cell-mediated cytotoxicity, and its function wassignificantly affected in the absence of an intracellular signalingprotein, Src homology 2-domain containing protein (Bottino, et al.,2001, supra).

Since NTB-A is expressed on hematopoietic cells and there is a need toidentify new agents that provide therapeutic compositions and diagnosticmethods for treating and identifying hematologic malignancies andhyperproliferative disorders, compositions that recognize and bind NTB-Amay be useful for such diagnosis and therapy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides isolated antibodies or immunologicallyfunctional antibody fragments (i.e. antigen-binding fragments) thereofthat bind NTB-A epitopes with high affinity, which antibodies can beused for treating a variety of diseases in which NTB-A is implicated,such as hematologic malignancies, including lymphomas and leukemias.Preferably the antibodies or antibody fragments thereof bind to primateand human NTB-A. More preferably, the antibodies and antigen-bindingfragments bind with high affinity to human NTB-A. In particularembodiments, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof arechimeric, humanized, or human antibodies or antigen-binding fragmentsthereof. In other embodiments, the antibodies or antigen-bindingfragments thereof are selected from the group consisting of scFv, Fab,Fab′, F(ab′)₂, Fv, and single chain antibodies. In another particularembodiment, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof is an IgGisotype, such as an IgG₂b isotype.

One aspect of the present invention provides antibodies or antibodyfragments thereof comprising a heavy chain variable region (V_(H))and/or a light chain variable region (V_(L)) of anti-NTB-A antibodies480.12 and 994.1. In a particular embodiment, the antibodies of theinvention comprise a heavy chain variable region of SEQ ID NO: 5 and/ora light chain variable region of SEQ ID NO: 7. In another embodiment,the antibodies of the invention comprise a heavy chain variable regioncomprising a sequence that has at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%,at least 97%, at least 98% or at least 99% identity to the amino acidsequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 5 and/or a light chain variable regioncomprising a sequence that has at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%,at least 97%, at least 98% or at least 99% identity to the amino acidsequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 7. In a particular embodiment, theantibodies of the invention comprise a heavy chain variable region ofSEQ ID NO: 9 and/or a light chain variable region of SEQ ID NO: 11. Inanother embodiment, the antibodies of the invention comprise a heavychain variable region comprising a sequence that has at least 90%, atleast 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98% or at least 99%identity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 9 and/or alight chain variable region comprising a sequence that has at least 90%,at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98% or at least 99%identity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 11.

Some of the antibodies and antigen-binding fragments that are providedinclude (a) one or more light chain (LC) complementarity determiningregions (CDRs) selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   (i) a LC CDR1 with at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:        27 or 33;    -   (ii) a LC CDR2 with at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:        28 or 34; and    -   (iii) a LC CDR3 with at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID        NO: 29 or 35;    -   (b) one or more heavy chain (HC) CDRs selected from the group        consisting of:    -   (i) a HC CDR1 with at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:        24 or 30;    -   (ii) a HC CDR2 with at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:        25 or 31; and    -   (iii) a HC CDR3 with at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID        NO: 26 or 32; or    -   (c) one or more LC CDRs of (a) and one or more HC CDRs of (b).

Such antibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof can specificallybind an NTB-A polypeptide. Certain antibodies or antigen-bindingfragments thereof include one, two, three, four, five or six of theforegoing CDRs in any combination thereof.

The light chain and heavy chains of other antibodies or antigen-bindingfragments thereof are as described above but have at least 90% sequenceidentity to the foregoing sequences. Still other antibodies orantigen-binding fragments thereof are ones having a light chain in whichCDR1 has the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 27, CDR2 hasthe amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 28, and/or CDR3 hasthe amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 29. Still otherantibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof are ones having a lightchain in which CDR1 has the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ IDNO: 33, CDR2 has the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 34,and/or CDR3 has the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 35.Some antibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof may also have aheavy chain in which CDR1 has the amino acid sequence as set forth inSEQ ID NO: 24, CDR2 has the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ IDNO: 25, and/or CDR3 has the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ IDNO: 26. Some antibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof may alsohave a heavy chain in which CDR1 has the amino acid sequence as setforth in SEQ ID NO: 30, CDR2 has the amino acid sequence as set forth inSEQ ID NO: 31, and/or CDR3 has the amino acid sequence as set forth inSEQ ID NO: 32.

Another aspect of the present invention provides isolated antibodies orantigen-binding fragments thereof that bind to NTB-A or an NTB-Aepitope. In a particular embodiment, the antibodies of the inventioninclude isolated antibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof bindwith high affinity to a human NTB-A epitope defined by amino acids 95 to124 of SEQ ID NO: 2 (i.e., SEQ ID NO: 17). In another embodiment, theantibodies of the invention include isolated antibodies orantigen-binding fragments thereof that bind with high affinity to ahuman NTB-A epitope defined by amino acids 22 to 184 of SEQ ID NO: 2(i.e., SEQ ID NO: 12), amino acids 22 to 154 of SEQ ID NO: 2 (i.e., SEQID NO: 13), or amino acids 22 to 124 of SEQ ID NO: 2 (i.e., SEQ ID NO:14). Examples of such antibodies include monoclonal antibodies 480.12and 994.1 and chimeric monoclonal antibodies 480.12/77 and 994.1/9.

The invention provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising theantibody and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The pharmaceuticalcomposition may further comprise another pharmaceutically activeingredient, such as an anti-tumor agent or an imaging reagent. Aparticular embodiment provides an antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof present in a therapeutically effective amount, such as in aconcentration of at least about 10 μg/ml.

Another aspect of the invention provides NTB-A epitopes, which epitopesinclude isolated polypeptides comprising amino acids 95 to 124 of SEQ IDNO: 2 (i.e., SEQ ID NO: 17), or any fragment thereof that binds to anantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof of the present invention.In another embodiment, the present invention provides an isolatedpolypeptide consisting of amino acids 95 to 124 of SEQ ID NO: 2, or anyfragment thereof that binds to an antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof of the present invention. In yet another embodiment, the presentinvention provides an isolated polypeptide consisting essentially ofamino acids 95 to 124 of SEQ ID NO: 2, or any fragment thereof thatbinds to an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof of the presentinvention.

Diagnostic and therapeutic methods are also provided by the invention. Aparticular embodiment provides a method for diagnosing the presence orlocation of an NTB-A-expressing tissue or cells using an anti-NTB-Aantibody. In yet another embodiment, a therapeutic method comprisesadministering the antibody to a subject in need thereof. In yet afurther embodiment, a therapeutic method comprises administering theantibody to a subject in need thereof in conjunction with administrationof another therapeutic agent.

The invention provides isolated cell lines, such as hybridoma cellsand/or host cells that have been transfected to express NTB-A antibodiesor antigen-binding fragments thereof, that produce the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof of the present invention, andantibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof produced by such celllines. In particular, the invention provides for a hybridoma having ATCCAccession No. PTA-7832, or progeny thereof, that expresses theanti-NTB-A monoclonal antibody (mAb) 480.12. The invention also providesfor a hybridoma having ATCC Accession No. PTA-7831, or progeny thereof,that expresses the anti-NTB-A monoclonal antibody 994.1. A hybridoma mayinclude B cells obtained from a transgenic non-human animal having agenome comprising a human heavy chain transgene and a human light chaintransgene fused to an immortalized cell. In another aspect, a hybridomamay include B cells obtained from a non-transgenic, non-human animal.Such transformed host cells may include nucleic acids encoding a humanheavy chain and a human light chain.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of producingan antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof that binds with highaffinity to a human NTB-A epitope defined by amino acids 95 to 124 ofSEQ ID NO: 1, comprising immunizing a non-human animal with a humanNTB-A epitope defined by amino acids 95 to 124 of SEQ ID NO: 1, suchthat antibodies are produced by B cells of the animal; isolating the Bcells of the animal; and fusing the B cells with myeloma cells to formimmortal, hybridoma cells that secrete the antibody or antigen bindingregion thereof.

The invention also provides nucleic acid molecules encoding the heavyand/or light chain or antigen-binding portions thereof of an anti-NTB-Aantibody.

The invention provides vectors and host cells comprising the nucleicacid molecules, as well as methods of recombinantly producing thepolypeptides encoded by the nucleic acid molecules.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A: Expression of NTB-A in normal human peripheral blood cells byflow cytometry (FACS) analysis using anti-NTB-A antibody 480.12. Theupper panel shows FACS analysis of B, T, and NK cells. The lower panelshows FACS analysis of granulocytes, monocytes and platelets.

FIG. 1B: Expression of NTB-A in cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis)peripheral blood cells using anti-NTB-A antibody.

FIG. 1C: Expression of NTB-A, CD20 and CD52 in normal and chroniclymphocytic leukemia (CLL) B cells.

FIG. 1D: Expression of NTB-A in primary cells and cancer lines byWestern blot analysis using anti-NTB-A antibody 994.1 (upper panel);M-actin was used as a loading control (lower panel).

FIG. 1E: Expression of NTB-A in lymphoma patient tissues byimmunohistochemistry: A) spleen tissue obtained from a patient withdiffuse large B-cell lymphoma; B) lymph node tissue obtained from apatient with follicular lymphoma; C) lymph node tissue obtained from apatient with small lymphocytic lymphoma; D) lymph node tissue obtainedfrom a patient with mantle cell lymphoma.

FIG. 2: Schematic of deletion constructs to map the NTB-A epitope thatbinds anti-NTB-A mAbs 480.12 and 994.1 and the sequence of NTB-A epitope(SEQ ID NO: 17).

FIG. 3: Amino acid sequence alignment of the extracellular domains ofhuman NTB-A (SEQ ID NO: 3) and cynomolgus NTB-A (SEQ ID NO: 48) and theresulting consensus sequence (SEQ ID NO: 49).

FIG. 4: Co-crystallization studies of NTB-A bound to 480.12. A) Crystalstructure of NTB-A co-crystallized with an Fab fragment of monoclonalantibody 480.12. B) NTB-A epitope region (SEQ ID NO: 17) as defined byco-crystallization of the extracellular domain of NTB-A (SEQ ID NO: 3)with 480.12 Fab fragment.

FIG. 5: Affinity measurements and K_(D) determination for anti-NTB-Aantibodies 480.12 and 994.1. A) 300 seconds dissociation for 480.12; B)60 minutes dissociation for 480.12; C) 300 seconds dissociation for994.1; D) 60 minutes dissociation for 994.1.

FIG. 6A: CDC analysis of 994.1 plus complement in CA46 cells. Squaresrepresent 994.1 mAb; circles represent isotype control.

FIG. 6B: CDC analysis of 994.1 plus complement in Jurkat cells(triangles) and Daudi cells (squares).

FIG. 6C: CDC analysis of 480.12 (triangles) and rituximab (squares) inDaudi cells.

FIG. 6D: CDC analysis of 480.12 (triangles) and rituximab (squares) inRamos cells.

FIG. 7: CDC analysis of 480.12 mAb in blood cells isolated from chroniclymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients (A: CLL donor 1, B: CLL donor 2) andhealthy patients (C: healthy donor 1, D: healthy donor 2).

FIG. 8: CDC analysis of 994.1 mAb (open squares) and 994.1/9 chimericmAb (closed squares) in chimpanzee B lymphoblast cells (EB167 cellline).

FIG. 9: ADCC analysis of NTB-A antibodies. A) ADCC analysis of chimericmAb 480.12/77 (closed squares) and 994.1/9 (open triangles) on CA46Burkitt's lymphoma cells. B) ADCC analysis of NTB-A chimeric mAb 994.1/9(squares), rituximab (triangles) and CAMPATH3 circles) on 5KEB167chimpanzee B cells.

FIG. 10A: CDC analysis of 480.12 mAb in parental HEK293 cells (squares)and HEK293 cells transfected with NTB-A (triangles).

FIG. 10B: CDC analysis of 994.1 mAb in CA46 (open squares) and HL60(closed triangles) cells.

FIG. 11: T cell activation analysis of NTB-A chimeric mAbs 480.12/77(#77) and 994.1/9 (#9).

FIG. 12: siRNA knockdown of NTB-A in CA46 cells. A) CA46 CDC assay usingCELLTITER-GLO™ (white bar=no siRNA; black bar=STEALTH™ SLAMF6.S898siRNA; vertical hatched bar=STEALTH™ SLAMF6.S899 siRNA; horizontalhatched bar=STEALTH™ SLAMF6.S900 siRNA; checkered bar=siCONTROL®). B)Western blot showing relative amount of NTB-A knockdown using anti-NTB-Aantibody (upper panel) with β-actin as loading control (lower panel).

FIG. 13: siRNA knockdown of NTB-A in HEK293 cells. A) HEK293 CDC assayusing CELLTITER-GLO™ (gray squares=untreated; open triangles=mocktreated; upside-down triangles=STEALTH™ SLAMF6.S898 siRNA;diamonds=STEALTH™ SLAMF6.S899 siRNA; circles=STEALTH™ SLAMF6.900 siRNA;closed squares=STEALTH™ control. B) Western analysis of NTB-A expressionin siRNA treated cells. C) FACS analysis of NTB-A expression in siRNAtreated cells.

FIG. 14: Tumor volume in CA46 xenograft mice treated with saline control(closed squares), isotype control (open squares), NTB-A mAb 994.1 at 1mg/mouse (right-hatched squares), 300 μg/mouse (left-hatched squares),100 μg/mouse (horizontal-hatched squares), or 30 μg/mouse(vertical-hatched squares).

FIG. 15: Tumor volume in CA46 xenograft mice treated with saline control(closed squares), NTB-A chimeric mAb 480.12/77 at 30 μg/mouse (opensquares), or 100 μg/mouse (horizontal-hatched squares), NTB-A chimericmAb 994.1/9 at 30 μg/mouse (left-hatched squares) or 100 μg/mouse(right-hatched squares), rituximab at 30 μg/mouse (dark-spotted squares)or 100 μg/mouse (light-spotted squares).

FIG. 16: Percent animal survival of mice injected with Raji cellsfollowed by treatment with saline (black squares), isotype control(white squares), NTB-A monoclonal antibody 994.1 at 1 mg/mouse(diagonally-hatched squares) or 100 μg/mouse (checkered squares), orrituximab at 1 mg/mouse (horizontal-hatched squares) or 100 μg/mouse(vertical-hatched squares).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Section titles are used herein for convenience purposes only and are notto be construed in any way as limiting the invention.

I. DEFINITIONS

Unless otherwise defined herein, scientific and technical terms used inconnection with the present invention have the meanings that arecommonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. Further,unless otherwise required by context, singular terms shall includepluralities and plural terms shall include the singular. Unlessotherwise indicated, nucleic acids are written left to right in 5′ to 3′orientation; amino acid sequences are written left to right in amino tocarboxy orientation.

Standard techniques are used for recombinant DNA, oligonucleotidesynthesis, and tissue culture and transformation (e.g. electroporation,lipofection). Enzymatic reactions and purification techniques areperformed according to manufacturer's specifications or as commonlyaccomplished in the art or as described herein. The foregoing techniquesand procedures are as generally performed according to conventionalmethods well known in the art and as described in various general andmore specific references that are cited and discussed throughout thepresent specification. See Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning: ALaboratory Manual, 2d ed., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, ColdSpring Harbor, N.Y. (1989), Ausubel et al., Current Protocols inMolecular Biology, Greene Publishing Associates (1992), and Harlow andLane, Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor LaboratoryPress, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. (1990), which are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety for all purposes. The nomenclatures utilizedin connection with, and the laboratory procedures and techniques of,analytical chemistry, synthetic organic chemistry, and medicinal andpharmaceutical chemistry described herein are those well known andcommonly used in the art. Standard techniques are used for chemicalsyntheses, chemical analyses, pharmaceutical preparation, formulation,and delivery, and treatment of patients.

As utilized in accordance with the present disclosure, the followingterms, unless otherwise indicated, shall be understood to have thefollowing meanings:

The terms “a,” “an,” and “the” mean one or more and include the pluralunless the context is inappropriate.

The term “polynucleotide” as referred to herein means a polymeric formof nucleotides of at least 10 bases in length, either ribonucleotides ordeoxyribonucleotides or a modified form of either type of nucleotide.The term includes single and double stranded forms of DNA.

The term “oligonucleotide” referred to herein includes naturallyoccurring, and modified nucleotides linked together by naturallyoccurring and non-naturally occurring oligonucleotide linkages.Oligonucleotides are a polynucleotide subset generally comprising alength of 200 bases or fewer. Preferably oligonucleotides are 10 to 60bases in length and most preferably 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, orto 40 bases in length. Oligonucleotides are usually single stranded,e.g., for probes; although oligonucleotides may be double stranded,e.g., for use in the construction of a gene mutant. Oligonucleotides ofthe invention can be either sense or antisense oligonucleotides.

“Operably linked” sequences include both expression control sequencesthat are contiguous with the gene of interest and expression controlsequences that act in trans or at a distance to control the gene ofinterest. The term “expression control sequence” as used herein refersto polynucleotide sequences which are necessary to effect the expressionand processing of coding sequences to which they are ligated. Expressioncontrol sequences include appropriate transcription initiation,termination, promoter and enhancer sequences; efficient RNA processingsignals such as splicing and polyadenylation signals; sequences thatstabilize cytoplasmic mRNA; sequences that enhance translationefficiency (e.g., Kozak consensus sequence); sequences that enhanceprotein stability; and when desired, sequences that enhance proteinsecretion. The nature of such control sequences differs depending uponthe host organism; in prokaryotes, such control sequences generallyinclude promoters and transcription termination sequence. The term“control sequences” as referred to herein includes, at a minimum, allcomponents whose presence is essential for expression and processing,and can also include additional components whose presence isadvantageous, for example, leader sequences and fusion partnersequences.

The term “vector” as used herein, refers to a nucleic acid moleculecapable of transporting another nucleic acid to which it has beenlinked. One type of vector is a “plasmid”, which refers to a circulardouble stranded loop into which additional DNA segments may be ligated.Another type of vector is a viral vector, wherein additional DNAsegments may be ligated into the viral genome. Certain vectors arecapable of autonomous replication in a host cell into which they areintroduced (e.g., bacterial vectors having a bacterial origin ofreplication and episomal mammalian vectors). Other vectors (e.g.,non-episomal mammalian vectors) can be integrated into the genome of ahost cell upon introduction into the host cell, and thereby arereplicated along with the host genome. Moreover, certain vectors arecapable of directing the expression of genes to which they areoperatively linked. Such vectors are referred to herein as “recombinantexpression vectors” (or simply “expression vectors”). In general,expression vectors of utility in recombinant DNA techniques are often inthe form of plasmids. In the present specification, “plasmid” and“vector” may be used interchangeably as the plasmid is the most commonlyused form of vector. However, the invention is intended to include suchother forms of expression vectors (e.g., replication defectiveretroviruses, adenoviruses and adeno-associated viruses), which serveequivalent functions.

The term “recombinant host cell” (or simply “host cell”), as usedherein, refers to a cell that has been transformed, or is capable ofbeing transformed, with a nucleic acid sequence and thereby expresses agene of interest. It should be understood that such terms are intendedto refer not only to the particular subject cell but to the progeny ofsuch a cell. Because certain modifications may occur in succeedinggenerations due to either mutation or environmental influences, suchprogeny may not, in fact, be identical to the parent cell, but are stillincluded within the scope of the term “host cell” as used herein. Hostcells may be prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells that are capable ofexpressing exogenous nucleic acid sequences. Examples of host cellsinclude bacteria such as E. coli, yeast, plant cells, Chinese hamsterovary (CHO) cells, human embryonic kidney (HEK)-293 cells and insectcells.

The term “transduction” means the transfer of genes from one bacteriumto another, usually by bacteriophage. “Transduction” also refers to theacquisition and transfer of eukaryotic cellular sequences byretroviruses.

The term “transfection” means the uptake of foreign or exogenous DNA bya cell, and a cell has been “transfected” when the exogenous DNA hasbeen introduced inside the cell membrane. A number of transfectiontechniques are well known in the art and are disclosed herein. See,e.g., Graham et al., Virology 52:456 (1973); Sambrook et al., MolecularCloning: A Laboratory Manual, Id. (2001); Davis et al., Basic Methods inMolecular Biology, Elsevier (1986); and Chu et al., Gene 13:197 (1981).Such techniques can be used to introduce one or more exogenous DNAmoieties into suitable host cells.

The term “transformation” refers to a change in a cell's geneticcharacteristics, and a cell has been transformed when it has beenmodified to contain new DNA or RNA. For example, a cell is transformedwherein it is genetically modified from its native state by introducingnew genetic material via transfection, transduction, or othertechniques. Following transfection or transduction, the transforming DNAmay recombine with that of the cell by physically integrating into achromosome of the cell, or may be maintained transiently as an episomalelement without being replicated, or may replicate independently as aplasmid. A cell is considered to have been “stably transformed” when thetransforming DNA is replicated with the division of the cell.

The term “percent sequence identity” in the context of nucleic acidsequences refers to the residues in two sequences which are the samewhen aligned for maximum correspondence. The length of sequence identitycomparison may be over a stretch of at least about nine nucleotides,usually at least about 18 nucleotides, more usually at least about 24nucleotides, typically at least about 28 nucleotides, more typically atleast about 32 nucleotides, and preferably at least about 36, 48 or morenucleotides. There are a number of different algorithms known in the artwhich can be used to measure nucleotide sequence identity. For instance,polynucleotide sequences can be compared using FASTA, GAP or BESTFIT,which are programs in Wisconsin Package Version 10.0, Genetics ComputerGroup (GCG), Madison, Wis. FASTA, which includes, e.g., the programsFASTA2 and FASTA3, provides alignments and percent sequence identity ofthe regions of the best overlap between the query and search sequences(Pearson, Meth. Enzymol. 183:63-98 (1990); Pearson, Meth. Mol. Biol.132:185-219 (2000); Pearson, Meth. Enzymol. 266:227-258 (1996); Pearson,J. Mol. Biol. 276:71-84 (1998); herein incorporated by reference).Unless specified otherwise, default parameters for a particular programor algorithm are used. For instance, percent sequence identity betweennucleic acid sequences can be determined using FASTA with its defaultparameters (a word size of 6 and the NOPAM factor for the scoringmatrix) or using GAP with its default parameters as provided in GCGVersion 6.1, herein incorporated by reference.

A reference to a nucleic acid sequence encompasses its complement unlessotherwise specified. Thus, a reference to a nucleic acid molecule havinga particular sequence should be understood to encompass itscomplementary strand, with its complementary sequence.

The term “substantial similarity” or “substantial sequence similarity”when referring to a nucleic acid or fragment thereof, indicates that,when optimally aligned with appropriate nucleotide insertions ordeletions with another nucleic acid (or its complementary strand), thereis nucleotide sequence identity in at least about 85%, preferably atleast about 90%, and more preferably at least about 95%, at least 96%,at least 97%, at least 98% or at least 99% of the nucleotide bases, asmeasured by any well-known algorithm of sequence identity, such asFASTA, BLAST, or GAP as discussed above.

The terms “polypeptide” or “protein” means a macromolecule having theamino acid sequence of a native protein, that is a protein produced by anaturally-occurring and non-recombinant cell, or produced by agenetically-engineered or recombinant cell, and comprise moleculeshaving the amino acid sequence of the native protein, or moleculeshaving deletions from, additions to, and/or substitutions of one or moreamino acids of the native sequence. The terms “polypeptide” and“protein” specifically encompass anti-NTB-A antibodies antigen-bindingfragments, or sequences that have deletions from, additions to, and/orsubstitutions of one or more amino acid of anti-NTB-A antibodies orantigen-binding fragments. The term “polypeptide fragment” refers to apolypeptide that has an amino-terminal deletion, a carboxyl-terminaldeletion, and/or an internal deletion as compared with the full-lengthnative protein. Such fragments may also contain modified amino acids ascompared with the native protein. In certain embodiments, fragments areabout 5 to 500 amino acids long. For example, fragments may be at least5, 6, 8, 10, 14, 20, 50, 70, 100, 110, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450or 500 amino acids long. Useful polypeptide fragments for this inventioninclude immunologically functional fragments of antibodies, includingbinding domains. In the case of anti-NTB-A antibodies, useful fragmentsinclude but are not limited to a CDR region, a variable domain of aheavy or light chain, a portion of an antibody chain or just itsvariable region including two CDRs, and the like.

The term “isolated protein” referred to herein, means that a subjectprotein (1) is free of at least some other proteins with which it wouldnormally be found, (2) is essentially free of other proteins from thesame source, e.g., from the same species, (3) is expressed by a cellfrom a different species, (4) has been separated from at least about 50%of polynucleotides, lipids, carbohydrates, or other materials with whichit is associated in nature, (5) is operably associated (by covalent ornoncovalent interaction) with a polypeptide with which it is notassociated in nature, or (6) does not occur in nature. Genomic DNA,cDNA, mRNA or other RNA, of synthetic origin, or any combination thereofmay encode such an isolated protein. Preferably, the isolated protein issubstantially free from proteins or polypeptides or other contaminantsthat are found in its natural environment that would interfere with itstherapeutic, diagnostic, prophylactic, research or other use.

A “variant” of a polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence whereinone or more amino acid residues are inserted into, deleted from and/orsubstituted into the amino acid sequence relative to another polypeptidesequence. Variants of the invention include fusion proteins.

A “derivative” of a polypeptide is a polypeptide (e.g., an antibody)that has been chemically modified in some manner distinct frominsertion, deletion, or substitution variants, e.g., via conjugation toanother chemical moiety.

The term “antibody” refers to an intact immunoglobulin of any isotype,or a fragment thereof, that can complete with the intact antibody forspecific binding to the target antigen, and includes chimeric,humanized, fully human, and bispecific antibodies. An intact antibodygenerally will comprise at least two full-length heavy chains and twofull-length light chains, but in some instances may include fewer chainssuch as antibodies naturally occurring in camelids which may compriseonly heavy chains. Antibodies according to the invention may be derivedsolely from a single source, or may be “chimeric,” that is, differentportions of the antibody may be derived from two different antibodies.For example, the CDR regions may be derived from a rat or murine source,while the framework region of the V region is derived from a differentanimal source, such as a human. The antibodies or binding fragments ofthe invention may be produced in hybridomas, by recombinant DNAtechniques, or by enzymatic or chemical cleavage of intact antibodies.Unless otherwise indicated, the term “antibody” includes, in addition toantibodies comprising two full-length heavy chains and two full-lengthlight chains, derivatives, variants, fragments, and muteins thereof,examples of which are described below.

The term “light chain” includes a full-length light chain and fragmentsthereof having sufficient variable region sequence to confer bindingspecificity. A full-length light chain includes a variable region domain(abbreviated herein as V_(L)), and a constant region domain (abbreviatedherein as C_(L)). The variable region domain of the light chain is atthe amino-terminus of the polypeptide. Light chains according to theinvention include kappa chains and lambda chains.

The term “heavy chain” includes a full-length heavy chain and fragmentsthereof having sufficient variable region sequence to confer bindingspecificity. A full-length heavy chain includes a variable region domain(abbreviated herein as V_(H)), and three constant region domains(abbreviated herein as C_(H)1, C_(H)2, and C_(H)3). The V_(H) domain isat the amino-terminus of the polypeptide, and the C_(H) domains are atthe carboxy-terminus, with the CH₃ being closest to the —COOH end. Heavychains according to the invention may be of any isotype, including IgG(including IgG₁, IgG₂, IgG₃, and IgG₄ subtypes), IgA (including IgA₁ andIgA₂ subtypes), IgM, and IgE.

The V_(H) and V_(L) regions can be further subdivided into regions ofhypervariability, termed “complementarity determining regions” or “CDR”,interspersed with regions that are more conserved, termed frameworkregions (FR). Each V_(H) and V_(L) is composed of three CDRs and fourFRs, arranged from amino-terminus to carboxy-terminus in the followingorder: FR1, CDR1, FR2, CDR2, FR3. CDR3, FR4. The variable regions of theheavy and light chains contain a binding domain that interacts with anantigen. The constant regions of the antibodies may mediate the bindingof the immunoglobulin to host tissues or factors, including variouscells of the immune system (e.g., effector cells) and the firstcomponent (C1q) of the classical complement system. An amino acidsequence which is substantially the same as a heavy or light chain CDRexhibits a considerable amount or extent of sequence identity whencompared to a reference sequence and contributes favorably to specificbinding of an antigen bound specifically by an antibody having thereference sequence. Such identity is definitively known or recognizableas representing the amino acid sequence of the particular humanmonoclonal antibody. Substantially the same heavy and light chain CDRamino acid sequence can have, for example, minor modifications orconservative substitutions of amino acids so long as the ability to binda particular antigen is maintained.

The term “CDR” or “complementarity determining region” means thenon-contiguous antigen combining sites found within the variable regionof both heavy and light chain polypeptides. This particular region hasbeen described by Kabat et al., U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services,“Sequences of Proteins of Immunological Interest” (1983) and by Chothiaet al., J. Mol. Biol. 196:901-917 (1987) and additionally by MacCallumet al., J. Mol. Biol. 262:732-745 (1996), which are incorporated hereinby reference, where the definitions include overlapping or subsets ofamino acid residues when compared against each other. Nevertheless,application of either definition to refer to a CDR of an antibody orfunctional fragment thereof is intended to be within the scope of theterm as defined and used herein. The exact amino acid residue numberswhich encompass a particular CDR will vary depending on the structure ofthe CDR. Those skilled in the art can routinely determine which residuescomprise a particular CDR given the variable region amino acid sequenceof the antibody. Those skilled in the art can compare two or moreantibody sequences by defining regions or individual amino acidpositions of the respective sequences with the same CDR definition.

The term “antibody” includes both glycosylated and non-glycosylatedimmunoglobulins of any isotype or subclass or combination thereof,including human (including CDR-grafted antibodies), humanized, chimeric,multi-specific, monoclonal, polyclonal, and oligomers thereof,irrespective of whether such antibodies are produced, in whole or inpart, via immunization, through recombinant technology, by way of invitro synthetic means, or otherwise. Thus, the term “antibody” includesthose that are prepared, expressed, created or isolated by recombinantmeans, such as (a) antibodies isolated from an animal (e.g., a mouse)that is transgenic for human immunoglobulin genes or a hybridomaprepared therefrom, (b) antibodies isolated from a host cell transfectedto express the antibody, (c) antibodies isolated from a recombinant,combinatorial library, and (d) antibodies prepared, expressed, createdor isolated by any other means that involve splicing of immunoglobulingene sequences of two distinct species of animals. In certainembodiments, however, such antibodies can be subjected to in vitromutagenesis (or, when an animal transgenic for human immunoglobulinsequences is used, in vivo somatic mutagenesis) and thus the amino acidsequences of the V_(H) and V_(L) regions of the antibodies are sequencesthat, while derived from and related to the germline V_(H) and V_(L)sequences of a particular species (e.g., human), may not naturally existwithin that species' antibody germline repertoire in vivo.

The term “antigen-binding fragment” of an antibody means one or morefragments of an antibody that retain the ability to specifically bind toan antigen (e.g., NTB-A) that is specifically bound by a referenceantibody, as disclosed herein. An “antigen-binding fragment” of anantibody may include, for example, polypeptides comprising individualheavy or light chains and fragments thereof, such as V_(L), V_(H), andFd regions (consisting of the V_(H) and C_(H)1 domains); monovalentfragments, such as Fv, Fab, and Fab′ regions; bivalent fragments, suchas F(ab′)₂; single chain antibodies, such as single chain Fv (scFv)regions; Fc fragments; diabodies; maxibodies (bivalent scFv fused to theamino terminus of the Fc (C_(H)2-C_(H)3 domains)) and complementarydetermining region (CDR) domains. Such terms are described, for example,in Harlow and Lane, Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring HarborLaboratory, NY (1989); Molec. Biology and Biotechnology: A ComprehensiveDesk Reference (Myers, R. A. (ed.), New York: VCH Publisher, Inc.);Huston et al., Cell Biophysics, 22:189-224 (1993); Pluckthun and Skerra,Meth. Enzymol., 178:497-515 (1989) and in Day, E. D., AdvancedImmunochemistry, 2d ed., Wiley-Liss, Inc. New York, N.Y. (1990), whichare incorporated herein by reference.

The term “antigen-binding fragment” also includes, for example,fragments produced by protease digestion or reduction of a humanmonoclonal antibody and by recombinant DNA methods known to thoseskilled in the art. One skilled in the art knows that the exactboundaries of a fragment of a human monoclonal antibody can be variable,so long as the fragment maintains a functional activity. Usingwell-known recombinant methods, one skilled in the art can engineer anucleic acid to express a functional fragment with any endpoints desiredfor a particular application. Furthermore, although the two domains ofthe Fv fragment, V_(L) and V_(H), are coded for by separate genes, theycan be joined, using recombinant methods, by a synthetic linker thatenables them to be made as a single protein chain in which the V_(L) andV_(H) regions pair to form monovalent molecules (known as single chainFv (scFv); see e.g., Bird et al., Science 242:423-426 (1988); and Hustonet al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85:5879-5883 (1988). Such singlechain antibodies are also intended to be encompassed within the term“antigen-binding fragment” of an antibody. These antibody fragments areobtained using conventional techniques known to those with skill in theart, and the fragments are screened for utility in the same manner asare intact antibodies. Such fragments include those obtained byamino-terminal and/or carboxy-terminal deletions, but where theremaining amino acid sequence is substantially identical to thecorresponding positions in the naturally-occurring sequence deduced, forexample, from a full-length cDNA sequence. Antigen-binding fragmentsalso include fragments of an antibody which retain at least one (e.g.,1, 2, 3 or more) light chain sequences for a particular complementaritydetermining region (CDR) (e.g., at least one or more of CDR1, CDR2,and/or CDR3 from the heavy and/or light chain). Fusions of CDRcontaining sequences to an Fc region (or a C_(H)2 or C_(H)3 regionthereof) are included within the scope of this definition including, forexample, scFv fused, directly or indirectly, to an Fc region areincluded herein. An antigen-binding fragment is inclusive of, but notlimited to, those derived from an antibody or fragment thereof (e.g., byenzymatic digestion or reduction of disulfide bonds), producedsynthetically using recombinant methods, created via in vitro syntheticmeans (e.g., Merrifield resins), combinations thereof, or through othermethods. Antigen-binding fragments may also comprise multiple fragments,such as CDR fragments, linked together synthetically, chemically, orotherwise, in the form of oligomers. Thus, antigen-binding fragments ofthe present invention include polypeptides produced by any number ofmethods which comprise at least one CDR from a V_(H) or V_(L) chain ofthe present invention (e.g., derived from monoclonal antibodies 480.12and 994.1).

The term “V_(L) fragment” means a fragment of the light chain of amonoclonal antibody which includes all or part of the light chainvariable region, including the CDRs. A V_(L) fragment can furtherinclude light chain constant region sequences.

The term “V_(H) fragment” means a fragment of the heavy chain of amonoclonal antibody which includes all or part of the heavy chainvariable region, including the CDRs. A V_(H) fragment can furtherinclude heavy chain constant region sequences.

The term “Fd fragment” means a fragment of the heavy chain of amonoclonal antibody which includes all or part of the V_(H) heavy chainvariable region, including the CDRs. An Fd fragment can further includeC_(H)1 heavy chain constant region sequences.

An “Fc” region contains two heavy chain fragments comprising the C_(H)1and C_(H)2 domains of an antibody. The two heavy chain fragments areheld together by two or more disulfide bonds and by hydrophobicinteractions of the C_(H)3 domain.

The term “Fv fragment” means a monovalent antigen-binding fragment of amonoclonal antibody, including all or part of the variable regions ofthe heavy and light chains, and absent of the constant regions of theheavy and light chains. The variable regions of the heavy and lightchains include, for example, the CDRs.

The term “Fab fragment” means a monovalent antigen-binding fragment ofan antibody consisting of the V_(L), V_(H), C_(L) and C_(H)1 domains,which is larger than an Fv fragment. For example, a Fab fragmentincludes the variable regions, and all or part of the first constantdomain of the heavy and light chains.

The term “Fab′ fragment” means a monovalent antigen-binding fragment ofa monoclonal antibody that is larger than a Fab fragment. For example, aFab′ fragment includes all of the light chain, all of the variableregion of the heavy chain, and all or part of the first and secondconstant domains of the heavy chain.

The term “F(ab′)₂ fragment” means a bivalent antigen-binding fragment ofa monoclonal antibody comprising two Fab fragments linked by a disulfidebridge at the hinge region. An F(ab′)₂ fragment includes, for example,all or part of the variable regions of two heavy chains and two lightchains, and can further include all or part of the first constantdomains of two heavy chains and two light chains.

“Single-chain antibodies” are Fv molecules in which the heavy and lightchain variable regions have been connected by a flexible linker to forma single polypeptide chain, which forms an antigen-binding fragment.Single chain antibodies are discussed in detail in International PatentApplication Publication No. WO 88/01649 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,946,778 and5,260,203, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated byreference.

A “domain antibody” is an antigen-binding fragment containing only thevariable region of a heavy chain or the variable region of a lightchain. In some instances, two or more V_(H) regions are covalentlyjoined with a peptide linker to create a bivalent domain antibody. Thetwo V_(H) regions of a bivalent domain antibody may target the same ordifferent antigens.

The term “bivalent antibody” means an antibody that comprises twoantigen binding sites. In some instances, the two binding sites have thesame antigen specificities. However, bivalent antibodies may bebispecific (see below).

The term “bispecific antibody” means an antibody that binds to two ormore distinct epitopes. For example, the antibody may bind to, orinteract with, (a) a cell surface antigen and (b) an Fc receptor on thesurface of an effector cell. The term “multispecific antibody” or“heterospecific antibody” means an antibody that binds to more than twodistinct epitopes. For example, the antibody may bind to, or interactwith, (a) a cell surface antigen, (b) an Fc receptor on the surface ofan effector cell, and (c) at least one other component. Accordingly, theinvention includes, but is not limited to, bispecific, trispecific,tetraspecific, and other multispecific antibodies or antigen-bindingfragments thereof which are directed to NTB-A epitopes and to othertargets, such as Fc receptors on effector cells. Bispecific antibodiesare a species of multispecific antibody and may be produced by a varietyof methods including, but not limited to, fusion of hybridomas orlinking of Fab′ fragments. See, e.g., Songsivilai and Lachmann, Clin.Exp. Immunol. 79:315 (1990); Kostelny et al., J. Immunol. 148:1547(1992). The two binding sites of a bispecific antibody will bind to twodifferent epitopes, which may reside on the same or different proteintargets.

The term “bispecific antibodies” also includes diabodies. Diabodies arebivalent, bispecific antibodies in which the V_(H) and V_(L) domains areexpressed on a single polypeptide chain, but using a linker that is tooshort to allow for pairing between the two domains on the same chain,thereby forcing the domains to pair with complementary domains ofanother chain and creating two antigen binding sites (see e.g.,Hollinger et al., Proc Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90:6444-6448 (1993); Polijaket al., Structure 2:1121-1123 (1994).

The term “monoclonal antibody” or “mAb,” as used herein, refers to anantibody obtained from a population of substantially homogeneousantibodies, e.g., the individual antibodies comprising the populationare identical except for possible naturally occurring mutations that maybe present in minor amounts. In contrast to polyclonal antibodypreparations that typically include different antibodies againstdifferent determinants (epitopes), each monoclonal antibody is directedagainst a single determinant on the antigen. The term is not limitedregarding the species or source of the antibody, nor is it intended tobe limited by the manner in which it is made. The term encompasses wholeimmunoglobulins as well as fragments such as Fab, F(ab′)₂, Fv, and otherfragments, as well as chimeric and humanized homogeneous antibodypopulations, that exhibit immunological binding properties of the parentmonoclonal antibody molecule.

The term “mouse monoclonal antibody” means a monoclonal antibody, asdefined above, produced by immunizing a mouse, with an antigen ofinterest (e.g., NTB-A). A “mouse monoclonal antibody” is produced usingconventional methods well known in the art, from mouse-mouse hybridomas,described more fully below.

The term “rabbit monoclonal antibody” as used herein means a monoclonalantibody, as defined above, produced by immunizing a rabbit with anantigen of interest (e.g., NTB-A). A “rabbit monoclonal antibody” can beproduced using rabbit-rabbit hybridomas (e.g., fusions between anantibody-producing cell from the immunized rabbit with an immortalizedcell from a rabbit), rabbit-mouse hybridomas (e.g., fusions between anantibody-producing cell from the immunized rabbit with an immortalizedcell from a mouse), and the like.

The term “human monoclonal antibody” means a monoclonal antibody withsubstantially human CDR amino acid sequences produced, for example, byrecombinant methods, by lymphocytes or by hybridoma cells.

The monoclonal antibodies herein specifically include “chimeric”antibodies in which a portion of the heavy and/or light chain isidentical with or homologous to corresponding sequences in antibodiesderived from a particular species or belonging to a particular antibodyclass or subclass, while the remainder of the chain(s) is identical withor homologous to corresponding sequences in antibodies derived fromanother species or belonging to another antibody class or subclass, aswell as fragments of such antibodies, so long as they exhibit thedesired biological activity (U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,567; and Morrison etal., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 81:6851 (1984).

“Humanized” forms of non-human (e.g., murine) antibodies are chimericantibodies that contain minimal sequence derived from non-humanimmunoglobulin. For the most part, humanized antibodies are humanimmunoglobulins (recipient antibody) in which residues from ahypervariable region of the recipient are replaced by residues from ahypervariable region of a non-human species (donor antibody) such asmouse, rat, rabbit, or nonhuman primate having the desired specificity,affinity, and capacity. In some instances, framework region (FR)residues of the immunoglobulin are replaced by corresponding non-humanresidues. Furthermore, humanized antibodies may comprise residues thatare not found in the recipient antibody or in the donor antibody. Thesemodifications are made to further refine antibody performance. Ingeneral, the humanized antibody will comprise substantially all of atleast one, and typically two, variable domains, in which all orsubstantially all of the hypervariable loops correspond to those of anon-human immunoglobulin and all or substantially all of the FRs arethose of a human immunoglobulin sequence. The humanized antibodyoptionally will also comprise at least a portion of an immunoglobulinconstant region (Fc), typically that of a human immunoglobulin. See,e.g., Jones et al., Nature 321:522 (1986); Riechmann et al., Nature332:323 (1988); Presta, Curr. Op. Struct. Biol. 2:593 (1992); Vaswaniand Hamilton, Ann. Allergy, Asthma and Immunol. 1:105 (1998); Harris,Biochem. Soc. Transactions 23; 1035 (1995); Hurle and Gross, Curr. Op.Biotech. 5:428 (1994).

A “human antibody” is one which possesses an amino acid sequence whichcorresponds to that of an antibody produced by a human and/or has beenmade using any of the techniques for making human antibodies asdisclosed herein. This definition of a human antibody specificallyexcludes a humanized antibody comprising non-human antigen-bindingregions.

An “affinity matured” antibody is one with one or more alterations inone or more CDRs thereof which result in an improvement in the affinityof the antibody for antigen, compared to a parent antibody which doesnot possess those alteration(s). Preferred affinity matured antibodieswill have nanomolar or even picomolar affinities for the target antigen.Affinity matured antibodies are produced by procedures known in the art.Marks et al., Bio/Technology 10:779 (1992) describes affinity maturationby V_(H) and V_(L) domain shuffling. Random mutagenesis of CDR and/orframework residues is described by: Barbas et al., Proc. Natl. Acad.Sci. USA 91:3809 (1994); Schier et al., Gene 169:147 (1995); Yelton etal., J. Immunol. 155:1994 (1995); Jackson et al., J. Immunol. 154:3310(1995); and Hawkins et al., J. Mol. Biol. 226:889 (1992).

“Immunoadhesions” or “immunoadhesins” are antibody-like molecules thatcombine the binding domain of a non-antibody polypeptide with theeffector functions of an antibody or an antibody constant domain. Thebinding domain of the non-antibody polypeptide can be, for example, aligand or cell surface receptor having ligand binding activity.Immunoadhesions for use as anti-NTB-A antibodies can contain at leastthe Fc receptor binding effector functions of the antibody constantdomain.

“Immunologically reactive” means that the antibody of interest will bindwith NTB-A antigens present in a biological sample.

The term “immunogenic sequence of a NTB-A” means an NTB-A molecule thatincludes an amino acid sequence with at least one epitope such that themolecule is capable of stimulating the production of antibodies in anappropriate host.

The term “immunogenic composition” means a composition that comprises atleast one immunogenic polypeptide (e.g., an NTB-A antigen or antibody).

The term “antigen” refers to a molecule or a portion of a moleculecapable of being bound by a selective binding agent, such as anantibody, and additionally capable of being used in an animal to produceantibodies capable of binding to that antigen. An antigen may possessone or more epitopes that are capable of interacting with differentantibodies.

The term “selective binding agent” refers to a molecule that binds to anantigen. Non-limiting examples include antibodies, antigen-bindingfragments, scFv, Fab, Fab′, F(ab′)₂, single chain antibodies, peptides,peptide fragments and proteins.

The term “epitope” includes any determinant capable of binding with highaffinity to an immunoglobulin or to a T-cell receptor. An epitope is aregion of an antigen that is bound by an antibody that specificallytargets that antigen, and when the antigen is a protein, includesspecific amino acids that directly contact the antibody. Most often,epitopes reside on proteins, but in some instances, may reside on otherkinds of molecules, such as nucleic acids. Epitope determinants mayinclude chemically active surface groupings of molecules such as aminoacids, sugar side chains, phosphoryl or sulfonyl groups, and may havespecific three dimensional structural characteristics, and/or specificcharge characteristics. Generally, antibodies specific for a particulartarget antigen will preferentially recognize an epitope on the targetantigen in a complex mixture of proteins and/or macromolecules.

Regions of a given polypeptide that include an epitope can be identifiedusing any number of epitope mapping techniques, well known in the art.See, e.g., Epitope Mapping Protocols in Methods in Molecular Biology,Vol. 66 (Glenn E. Morris, Ed., 1996) Humana Press, Totowa, N.J. Forexample, linear epitopes may be determined by e.g., concurrentlysynthesizing large numbers of peptides on solid supports, the peptidescorresponding to portions of the protein molecule, and reacting thepeptides with antibodies while the peptides are still attached to thesupports. Such techniques are known in the art and described in, e.g.,U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,871; Geysen et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA81:3998-4002 (1984); Geysen et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82:178-182(1985); Geysen et al. Molec. Immunol. 23:709-715 (1986). Similarly,conformational epitopes are readily identified by determining spatialconformation of amino acids such as by, e.g., x-ray crystallography andtwo-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance. See, e.g., Epitope MappingProtocols, supra. Antigenic regions of proteins can also be identifiedusing standard antigenicity and hydropathy plots, such as thosecalculated using, e.g., the Omiga version 1.0 software program availablefrom the Oxford Molecular Group. This computer program employs theHopp/Woods method, Hopp et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 78:3824-3828(1981) for determining antigenicity profiles, and the Kyte-Doolittletechnique, Kyte et al., J. Mol. Biol. 157:105-132 (1982) for hydropathyplots.

An antibody of the invention is said to “specifically bind” its targetantigen when the dissociation constant (K_(D)) is ≦10⁻⁸ M. The antibodyspecifically binds antigen with “high affinity” when the K_(D) is<5×10⁻⁹ M, and with “very high affinity” when the K_(D) is ≦5×10⁻¹⁰ M.In one embodiment of the invention, the antibody has a K_(D) of ≦10⁻⁹ Mand an off-rate (k_(d)) of about 1×10⁻⁴/sec. In one embodiment of theinvention, the off-rate is <1×10⁻⁵/sec. In other embodiments of theinvention, the antibodies will bind to human NTB-A with a K_(D) ofbetween 10⁻⁸ M and 10⁻¹⁰ M.

The term “surface plasmon resonance,” as used herein, refers to anoptical phenomenon that allows for the analysis of real-time biospecificinteractions by detection of alterations in protein concentrationswithin a biosensor matrix, for example using the BIAcore system (BiacoreInternational AB, Uppsala, Sweden). For further descriptions, seeJonsson et al., Ann. Biol. Clin. 51:19-26 (1993); Jonsson et al.,Biotechniques 11:620-627 (1991); Johnsson et al., J. Mol. Recognit.8:125-131 (1995); and Johnsson et al., Anal. Biochem. 198:268-277(1991).

It is understood that the antibodies of the present invention may bemodified, such that they are substantially identical to the antibodypolypeptide sequences, or fragments thereof, and still bind the NTB-Aepitopes of the present invention. Polypeptide sequences are“substantially identical” when optimally aligned using such programs asGAP or BESTFIT using default gap weights, they share at least 80%sequence identity, at least 90% sequence identity, at least 95% sequenceidentity, at least 96% sequence identity, at least 97% sequenceidentity, at least 98% sequence identity, or at least 99% sequenceidentity.

As discussed herein, minor variations in the amino acid sequences ofantibodies or antigen-binding regions thereof are contemplated as beingencompassed by the present invention, providing that the variations inthe amino acid sequence maintain at least 75%, more preferably at least80%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least98% and most preferably at least 99% sequence identity. In particular,conservative amino acid replacements are contemplated. Conservativereplacements are those that take place within a family of amino acidsthat are related in their side chains. Genetically encoded amino acidsare generally divided into families: (1) acidic (aspartate, glutamate);(2) basic (lysine, arginine, histidine); (3) nonpolar (alanine, valine,leucine, isoleucine, proline, phenylalanine, methionine, tryptophan);and (4) uncharged polar (glycine, asparagine, glutamine, cysteine,serine, threonine, tyrosine). More preferred families are: (1)aliphatic-hydroxy (serine, threonine); (2) amide-containing (asparagine,glutamine); (3) aliphatic (alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine); and(4) aromatic (phenylalanine, tryptophan). For example, it is reasonableto expect that an isolated replacement of a leucine with an isoleucineor valine, an aspartate with a glutamate, a threonine with a serine, ora similar replacement of an amino acid with a structurally related aminoacid will not have a major effect on the binding or properties of theresulting molecule, especially if the replacement does not involve anamino acid within a framework site. Whether an amino acid change resultsin a functional peptide can readily be determined by assaying thespecific activity of the polypeptide derivative. Assays are described indetail herein. Fragments or analogs of antibodies or immunoglobulinmolecules can be readily prepared by those of ordinary skill in the art.Preferred amino- and carboxy-termini of fragments or analogs occur nearboundaries of functional domains. Structural and functional domains canbe identified by comparison of the nucleotide and/or amino acid sequencedata to public or proprietary sequence databases. Preferably,computerized comparison methods are used to identify sequence motifs orpredicted protein conformation domains that occur in other proteins ofknown structure and/or function. Methods to identify protein sequencesthat fold into a known three-dimensional structure are known. Bowie etal., Science 253:164 (1991). Thus, the foregoing examples demonstratethat those of skill in the art can recognize sequence motifs andstructural conformations that may be used to define structural andfunctional domains in accordance with the invention.

The antibodies of the present invention may also be generated usingpeptide analogs of the epitopic determinants disclosed herein, whichanalogs may consist of non-peptide compounds having properties analogousto those of the template peptide. These types of non-peptide compoundare termed “peptide mimetics” or “peptidomimetics”. Fauchere, J. Adv.Drug Res. 15:29 (1986); Veber and Freidinger TINS p. 392 (1985); andEvans et al., J. Med. Chem. 30:1229 (1987).

The term “immune complex” refers the combination formed when an antibodybinds to an epitope on an antigen.

The term “effective amount” refers to an amount effective, at dosagesand for periods of time necessary, to achieve the desired therapeutic orprophylactic result.

A “therapeutically effective amount” of a substance/molecule of theinvention may vary according to factors such as the disease state, age,sex, and weight of the individual, and the ability of thesubstance/molecule to elicit a desired response in the individual. Atherapeutically effective amount is also one in which any toxic ordetrimental effects of the substance/molecule are outweighed by thetherapeutically beneficial effects.

The term “cytotoxic agent” as used herein refers to a substance thatinhibits or prevents the function of cells and/or causes destruction ofcells. The term is intended to include radioactive isotopes (e.g.,phosphorus-32, copper-67, arsenic-77, rhodium-105, palladium-109,silver-111, tin-121, iodine-125 or 131, holmium-166, lutetium-177,rhenium-186 or 188, iridium-194, gold-199, astatium-211, yttrium-90,samarium-153, or bismuth-212), chemotherapeutic agents, e.g.,methotrexate, adriamicin, vinca alkaloids (vincristine, vinblastine,etoposide), doxorubicin, melphalan, mitomycin C, chloramucil,daunorubicin, or other intercalating agents, enzymes and fragmentsthereof such as nucleolytic enzymes, antibiotics, and toxins such assmall molecule toxins or enzymatically active toxins of bacterial (e.g.,Diptheria toxin, Pseudomonas endotoxin and exotoxin, Staphylococcalenterotoxin A), fungal (e.g., α-sarcin, restrictocin), plant (e.g.,abrin, ricin, modeccin, viscumin, pokeweed anti-viral protein, saporin,gelonin, momoridin, trichosanthin, barley toxin) or animal origin, e.g.,cytotoxic RNases, such as extracellular pancreatic RNases; DNase 1,including fragments and/or variants thereof, and the various antitumoror anticancer agents disclosed below. Other cytotoxic agents aredescribed below. A tumoricidal agent causes destruction of tumor cells.

The term “immunotherapeutic agent” is used herein to denote an agentthat is an immunopotentiator or an immunosuppressant and is useful fortreating diseases and disorders including cancer. Such agents include,without limitation, various cytokines and lymphokines, such as a numberof interleukins, including IL-1, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-12 andmuteins of these molecules; interferons, such as but not limited toIFN-α, IFN-β, IFN-γ and muteins thereof; colony stimulating factors suchas GM-CSF and muteins of GM-CSF; tumor necrosis factors, such as TNF-αand TNF-β and muteins of these molecules. Also captured by the term“immunotherapeutic agent” are immunotoxins. By “immunotoxin” is meant anantibody-toxin conjugate intended to destroy specific target cells(e.g., tumor cells) which bear antigens homologous to the antibody.Examples of toxins that are coupled to such antibodies include but arenot limited to ricin A chain (RTA), blocked ricin (bIR), saporin (SAP),pokeweed antiviral protein (PAP) and Pseudomonas exotoxin (PE), andother toxic compounds, such as radioisotopes and other chemotherapeuticdrugs, described further below.

The term “immunoconjugate” refers to the association of an antibody ofthe invention with another agent, such as a chemotherapeutic agent, atoxin, an immunotherapeutic agent, and the like. In this way, the agentof interest can be targeted directly to cells bearing the NTB-A cellsurface antigen. The mode of association between the antibody and theagent of interest is immaterial. Thus, the antibody and agent may beassociated through non-covalent interactions such as throughelectrostatic forces, or by covalent bonds. Various linkers, known inthe art, can be employed in order to form the immunoconjugate.Additionally, the immunoconjugate can be provided in the form of afusion protein that may be expressed from a polynucleotide encoding theimmunoconjugate.

As used herein, the terms “label” and “detectable label” refer to amolecule capable of detection, including, but not limited to,radioactive isotopes, fluorescers, semiconductor nanocrystals,chemiluminescers, chromophores, enzymes, enzyme substrates, enzymecofactors, enzyme inhibitors, dyes, metal ions, metal sols, ligands(e.g., biotin, streptavidin or haptens) and the like. The term“fluorescer” refers to a substance or a portion thereof which is capableof exhibiting fluorescence in the detectable range. Particular examplesof labels which may be used under the invention include, but are notlimited to, horseradish peroxidase (HRP), fluorescein, FITC, rhodamine,dansyl, umbelliferone, dimethyl acridinium ester (DMAE), Texas red,luminol, NADPH and α- or β-galactosidase.

The term “hematologic malignancy” means a cancer of the blood or bonemarrow, such as leukemia or lymphoma. Hematologic malignancies are alsocalled hematologic cancer. Hematologic malignancies include, but are notlimited to myeloproliferative diseases including acute myelogenousleukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, chronic neutrophilic leukemia,chronic eosinophilic leukemia/hypereosinophilic syndrome, chronicidiopathic myelofibrosis, polycythemia vera, essential (or primary)thrombocythemia, unclassifiable myeloproliferative disease;myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative diseases including chronicmyelomonocytic leukemia, atypical chronic myelogenous leukemia, juvenilemyelomonocytic leukemia; myelodysplastic syndromes including chronicanemia, nonprogressive anemia, refractory anemia, refractory cytopenia,5q⁻ (5q deletion) syndrome, unclassifiable myelodysplastic syndrome;acute myeloid leukemias, acute myelomonocytic leukemia, acute monocyticleukemia, acute erythoid leukemia, acute megakaryocytic leukemia, acutebasophilic leukemia, acute panmyelosis with myelofibrosis; acutebiphenotypic leukemias; precursor B-cell neoplasms including precursorB-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma, precursor B-cell acute lymphoblasticleukemia; mature (peripheral) B-cell neoplasms including B-cell acutelymphocytic leukemia, B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia/smalllymphocytic lymphoma, B-cell prolymphocytic leukemia, lymphoplasmacyticlymphoma, splenic marginal zone B-cell lymphoma, hairy cell leukemia,plasma cell myeloma/plasmacytoma, extranodal marginal zone B-celllymphoma, nodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma,mantle cell lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, mediastinal largeB-cell lymphoma, primary effusion lymphoma, Burkitt lymphoma/Burkittcell leukemia; precursor T-cell neoplasms including precursorT-lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia, precursor T-cell acute lymphoblasticleukemia; mature (peripheral) T-cell neoplasms including T-cellprolymphocytic leukemia, T-cell granular lymphocytic leukemia,aggressive NK-cell leukemia, adult T-cell lymphoma/leukemia, extranodalNK/T-cell lymphoma, enteropathy-type T-cell lymphoma, hepatosplenicgamma-delta T-cell lymphoma, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, subcutaneouspanniculities-like T-cell lymphoma, mycosis fungiodes/Sezary syndrome,anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, peripheral T-cell lymphoma,angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, anaplastic large-cell lymphoma;Hodgkin lymphomas; mast cell diseases including cutaneous mastocytosis,systemic mast cell disease, mast cell leukemia/sarcoma;macrophage/histiocytic sarcomas; and dendritic cell neoplasms includingLangerhans cell histiocytosis, Langerhans cell sarcoma; folliculardendritic cell sarcoma/tumor, dendritic cell sarcoma; myelomas includingmultiple myeloma, extramedullary plasmacytoma, solitary myeloma; andWaldenstrom macroglobulinemia.

The term “anti-tumor activity” means a reduction in the rate of cellproliferation and hence a decline in growth rate of abnormal cells thatarises during therapy. Such activity can be assessed using acceptedanimal models, such as the Namalwa and Daudi xenograft models of humanB-cell lymphoma. See, e.g., Hudson et al., Leukemia 12:2029-2033 (1998)for a description of these animal models.

The term “biological sample” as used herein refers to a sample of tissueor fluid isolated from a subject such as, but not limited to, blood,plasma, platelets, serum, fecal matter, urine, bone marrow, bile, spinalfluid, lymph fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, samples of the skin, secretionsof the skin, respiratory, intestinal, and genitourinary tracts, tears,saliva, milk, blood cells, organs, biopsies and also samples of in vitrocell culture constituents including but not limited to conditioned mediaresulting from the growth of cells and tissues in culture medium, e.g.,recombinant cells, and cell components. The samples detailed above neednot necessarily be in the form obtained directly from the source. Forexample, the sample can be treated prior to use, such as, for example,by heating, centrifuging, etc. prior to analysis.

Various aspects of the invention are described in further detail in thefollowing subsections.

II. THE NTB-A CELL SURFACE ANTIGEN

T cell activation is believed to require at least two distinct signals:the first is through the T cell receptor which maintains antigenspecificity and the second is via a co-stimulatory signal from anotherreceptor, such as the SLAM/CD150 family of cell surface receptors. TheSLAM (signaling lymphocyte activation molecule) family of cell surfaceproteins is expressed by lymphoid cells (e.g., natural killer (NK), Tand B cells) and function in interlymphocyte signaling, such as cytokinerelease in response to stimuli. NTB-A (also known as SLAM6) is a cellsurface receptor and a member of the CD2 superfamily of co-receptors,most closely related to members of the SLAM subfamily (Bottino et al.,2001, supra). NTB-A is characterized by an extracellular regioncontaining two immunoglobulin (Ig)-like domains, a single transmembraneregion, and a cytoplasmic domain containing three ITAM motifs (immunetyrosine-based activating motif; TXYXX(V/I) SEQ ID NO: 22). NTB-A isexpressed by resting and activated lymphoid cells, including NK cells, Tand B lymphocytes and has been implicated in signaling events in both Tand NK cells. Monoclonal antibodies raised against NTB-A have been shownto facilitate T cell activation while acting as a co-receptor for CD3,and triggering of NTB-A leads to tyrosine phosphorylation andrecruitment of SLAM-associated protein (SAP) (Valdez et al., J. Biol.Chem. 279:18662-18669 (2004); Veillette, Nat. Rev. Immunol. 6:56-66(2006)). Like other members of the subfamily, NTB-A can act as its ownligand and it has been reported that homophilic interaction can alter NKcell proliferation and cytotoxicity (Falco et al., Eur. J. Immunol.34:1663-1672 (2004); Stark and Watzl, Int. Immunol. 18:241-247 (2006)).

As described in the Examples below, NTB-A was shown to be expressed innormal lymphocytes, but not in other solid tissues or in CD34+progenitor cells. However, B cell malignancies, including Non-Hodgkin'slymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), express NTB-Aindicating that NTB-A may be useful as an immunotherapeutic target fordiseases or disorders related to NTB-A activity.

In order to further an understanding of the invention, a more detaileddiscussion is provided below regarding the NTB-A cell surface antigen,antibodies directed against this antigen, chemotherapeutic agents andtoxins, compositions, and diagnostic methods.

III. ANTI-NTB-A ANTIBODIES AND ANTIGEN-BINDING FRAGMENTS

A variety of selective binding agents useful for regulating the activityof NTB-A are provided. These agents include, for instance, antibodiesand antigen-binding fragments thereof that contain an antigen bindingdomain (e.g., single chain antibodies, domain antibodies,immunoadhesins, and polypeptides with an antigen-binding region) thatspecifically bind to an NTB-A polypeptide (e.g., a human, rat and/ormurine NTB-A polypeptide).

The present invention provides isolated anti-NTB-A antibodies that bindto human NTB-A epitopes. In a preferred embodiment, the NTB-A epitope issubstantially the same epitope as a human NTB-A epitope defined by aminoacids 95 to 124 of SEQ ID NO: 2 (SEQ ID NO: 17). In another embodiment,the present invention provides isolated anti-NTB-A antibodies andantigen-binding fragments thereof that bind to a human NTB-A epitope, orsubstantially the same epitope, defined by amino acids 95 to 124 of SEQID NO: 2. In another embodiment, the present invention provides anisolated antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof that specificallybinds to a human NTB-A epitope, or substantially the same epitope,defined by amino acids 95 to 124 of SEQ ID NO: 2. In another embodiment,the present invention provides a monoclonal antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof that specifically binds to a human NTB-A epitope, orsubstantially the same epitope, defined by amino acids 95 to 124 of SEQID NO: 2. Such antibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof can beprepared by any one of a number of processes disclosed below, forexample, by immunizing an animal with at least a first NTB-A antigeniccomposition and selecting from the immunized animal an antibody thatsubstantially cross-reacts with the monoclonal antibodies of the presentinvention.

Some of the antibodies and antigen-binding fragments that are providedinclude (a) one or more light chain (LC) complementary determiningregions (CDRs) selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   (i) a LC CDR1 with at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:        27 or 33;    -   (ii) a LC CDR2 with at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:        28 or 34; and    -   (iii) a LC CDR3 with at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID        NO: 29 or 35;    -   (b) one or more heavy chain (HC) CDRs selected from the group        consisting of:    -   (i) a HC CDR1 with at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:        24 or 30;    -   (ii) a HC CDR2 with at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:        25 or 31; and    -   (iii) a HC CDR3 with at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID        NO: 26 or 32; or    -   (c) one or more LC CDRs of (a) and one or more HC CDRs of (b).

Such antibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof can specificallybind an NTB-A polypeptide. Certain antibodies or fragments include one,two, three, four, five or six of the foregoing CDRs. In a particularembodiment, the CDRs are arranged as in monoclonal antibodies 480.12 or994.1.

The light chain and heavy chains of other antibodies or fragments are asdescribed above but have at least 90% sequence identity to the foregoingsequences. Still other antibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereofare ones having a light chain in which CDR1 has the amino acid sequenceas set forth in SEQ ID NO: 27, CDR2 has the amino acid sequence as setforth in SEQ ID NO: 28, and/or CDR3 has the amino acid sequence as setforth in SEQ ID NO: 29. Still other antibodies or antigen-bindingfragments thereof are ones having a light chain in which CDR1 has theamino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 33, CDR2 has the aminoacid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 34, and/or CDR3 has the aminoacid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 35. Some antibodies orantigen-binding fragments thereof may also have a heavy chain in whichCDR1 has the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 24, CDR2 hasthe amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 25, and/or CDR3 hasthe amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 26. Some antibodiesor antigen-binding fragments thereof may also have a heavy chain inwhich CDR1 has the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 30,CDR2 has the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 31, and/orCDR3 has the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 32.

The antibodies encompassed by the present invention include IgG, IgA,IgG₁₄, IgE, IgM, and IgD antibodies. In a preferred embodiment, theantibody is an IgG and is an IgG₁, IgG₂, IgG₃, or IgG₄ subtype. In aparticular embodiment, the antibody of the present invention is an IgG₂bisotype. In another preferred embodiment, the anti-NTB-A antibody is thesame class and subclass as antibody 480.12 or 994.1, which is IgG₂b. Inyet a further embodiment, the anti-NTB-A antibody is the same class andsubclass as chimeric monoclonal antibody 480.12/77 or 994.1/9, which isIgG₁.

The class and subclass of anti-NTB-A antibodies may be identified by anymethod known in the art. In general, the class and subclass of anantibody may be identified using antibodies that are specific for aparticular class and subclass of antibody. Such antibodies are availablecommercially. The class and subclass can be determined by ELISA, Westernblot, as well as other techniques. Alternatively, the class and subclassmay be determined by sequencing all or a portion of the constant domainsof the heavy and/or light chains of the antibodies, comparing theiramino acid sequences to the known amino acid sequences of variousclasses and subclasses of immunoglobulins, and determining the class andsubclass of the antibodies.

In another aspect of the invention, the anti-NTB-A antibody demonstratesboth species and molecule selectivity. In one embodiment, the anti-NTB-Aantibody binds to human, cynomologous, rhesus or chimpanzee NTB-A.Following the teachings of the specification, one may determine thespecies selectivity for the anti-NTB-A antibody using methods well knownin the art. For instance, one may determine species selectivity usingWestern blot, FACS, ELISA or RIA.

A. Naturally Occurring Antibody Structure

Some of the selective binding agents that are provided have thestructure typically associated with naturally occurring antibodies. Thestructural units of these antibodies typically comprise one or moretetramers, each composed of two identical couplets of polypeptidechains, though some species of mammals also produce antibodies havingonly a single heavy chain. In a typical antibody, each pair or coupletincludes one full-length “light” chain (in certain embodiments, about 25kD) and one full-length “heavy” chain (in certain embodiments, about50-70 kD). Each individual immunoglobulin chain is composed of several“immunoglobulin (Ig) domains,” each consisting of roughly 90 to 110amino acids and expressing a characteristic folding pattern. Thesedomains are the basic units of which antibody polypeptides are composed.The amino-terminal portion of each chain typically includes a variabledomain that is responsible for antigen recognition. The carboxy-terminalportion is more conserved evolutionarily than the other end of the chainand is referred to as the “constant region” or “C region”. Human lightchains generally are classified as kappa (K) and lambda (A) lightchains, and each of these contains one variable domain and one constantdomain. Heavy chains are typically classified as mu (μ), delta (δ),gamma (γ), alpha (α), or epsilon (ε) chains and these define theantibody's isotype as IgM, IgD, IgG, IgA, and IgE, respectively. IgG hasseveral subtypes, including, but not limited to, IgG₁, IgG₂, IgG₃, andIgG₄. IgM subtypes include IgM₁ and IgM₂. IgA subtypes include IgA₁ andIgA₂. In humans, the IgA and IgD isotypes contain four heavy chains andfour light chains; the IgG and IgE isotypes contain two heavy chains andtwo light chains; and the IgM isotype contains five heavy chains andfive light chains. The heavy chain C region typically comprises one ormore domains that may be responsible for effector function. The numberof heavy chain constant region domains will depend on the isotype. IgGheavy chains, for example, each contain three C region domains known asC_(H)1, C_(H)2, and C_(H)3. The antibodies that are provided can haveany of these isotypes and subtypes. In certain embodiments of theinvention, the anti-NTB-A antibodies are of the IgG₁ or IgG₂b subtypes.

In full-length light and heavy chains, the variable and constant regionsare joined by a “J” region of about 12 or more amino acids, with theheavy chain also including a “D” region of about 10 or more amino acids.See, e.g., Fundamental Immunology, 2^(nd) ed., Ch. 7 (Paul, W., ed)1989, New York: Raven Press (herein incorporated by reference in itsentirety for all purposes). The variable regions of each light/heavychain pair typically form the antigen binding site.

Variable regions of immunoglobulin chains generally exhibit the sameoverall structure, comprising relatively conserved framework regions(FR) joined by three hypervariable regions, more often called“complementarity determining regions” or CDRs. The CDRs from the twochains of each heavy chain/light chain pair mentioned above typicallyare aligned by the framework regions to form a structure that bindsspecifically with a specific epitope on the target protein (e.g.,NTB-A). From N-terminal to C-terminal, naturally occurring light andheavy chain variable regions both typically conform to the followingorder of these elements: FR1, CDR1, FR2, CDR2, FR3, CDR3 and FR4. Anumbering system has been devised for assigning numbers to amino acidsthat occupy positions in each of these domains. This numbering system isdefined in Kabat et al., Sequences of Proteins of Immunological Interest(1991, National Institutes of Health Publication No. 91-3242, 5th ed.,U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Md.) or Chothiaand Lesk, J. Mol. Biol. 196:901-917 (1987); Chothia et al., Nature342:878-883 (1989).

As a specific example of such antibodies, in one embodiment, theanti-NTB-A antibody is a monoclonal antibody derived from mice.Exemplary antibodies capable of binding to the aforementioned epitopeare the monoclonal antibodies 480.12 and 994.1 and chimeric monoclonalantibodies 480.12/77 and 994.1/9 (see, Examples below), each of whichcomprises a light chain and a heavy chain.

B. Variable Domains of Antibodies

Also provided are antibodies that comprise a light chain variable regionselected from the group consisting of V_(L)1 and V_(L)2 and/or a heavychain variable region selected from the group consisting of V_(H)1 andV_(H)2 as shown in Table 1 below, and antigen-binding regions,derivatives, muteins and variants of these light and heavy chainvariable regions.

Antibodies of this type can generally be designated by the formula“V_(L)xV_(H)y,” wherein “x” is the number of the light chain variableregion and “y” corresponds to the number of the heavy chain variableregion as listed in Table 1. In general, x and y are each 1 or 2.

TABLE 1 Antibody Abbreviated Chain NT Sequence AA Sequence DesignationName Type (SEQ ID NO:) (SEQ ID NO:) 480.12 V_(H)1 Heavy 4 5 480.12V_(L)1 Light 6 7 994.1 V_(H)2 Heavy 8 9 994.1 V_(L)2 Light 10 11

Thus, V_(L)2V_(H)1 refers to an antibody with a light chain variableregion domain comprising the amino acid sequence of V_(L)2 and a heavychain variable region comprising the amino acid sequence of V_(H)1. Theantibodies that are provided thus include, but are not limited to, thosehaving the following form: V_(L)1V_(H)1, V_(L)1V_(H)2, V_(L)2V_(H)1, andV_(L)2V_(H)2. In some instances, the foregoing antibodies include twolight chain variable region domains and two heavy chain variable regiondomains (e.g., V_(L)1₂V_(H)1₂, etc.).

As a specific example of such antibodies, certain antibodies orantigen-binding fragments thereof comprise the variable region of thelight chain or the variable region of the heavy chain of 480.12, whereinthe light chain variable region consists of the amino acids shown in SEQID NO: 7 and the heavy chain variable region consists of the amino acidsshown in SEQ ID NO: 5. In one aspect of this embodiment, the antibodyconsists of two identical heavy chains and two identical light chains.As another specific example of such antibodies, certain antibodies orantigen-binding fragments thereof comprise the variable region of thelight chain or the variable region of the heavy chain of 994.1, whereinthe light chain variable region consists of the amino acids shown in SEQID NO: 11 and the heavy chain variable region consists of the aminoacids shown in SEQ ID NO: 9. In another aspect of this embodiment, theantibody consists of two identical heavy chains and two identical lightchains.

Certain antibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof comprise a lightchain variable domain comprising a sequence of amino acids that differsfrom the sequence of a light chain variable domain selected from V_(L)1and V_(L)2 at only 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15amino acid residues, wherein each such sequence difference isindependently either a deletion, insertion, or substitution of one aminoacid. The light chain variable region in some antibodies comprises asequence of amino acids that has at least 70%, at least 75%, at least80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least97%, at least 98% or at least 99% sequence identity to the amino acidsequences of the light chain variable regions of V_(L)1 or V_(L)2.

Some antibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof that are providedcomprise a heavy chain variable domain comprising a sequence of aminoacids that differs from the sequence of a heavy chain variable domainselected from V_(H)1 and V_(H)2 only at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,11, 12, 13, 14 or 15 amino acid residues, wherein each such sequencedifference is independently either a deletion, insertion, orsubstitution of one amino acid. The heavy chain variable region in someantibodies comprises a sequence of amino acids that has at least 70%, atleast 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, atleast 96%, at least 97%, at least 98% or at least 99% sequence identityto the amino acid sequences of the heavy chain variable region of V_(H)1or V_(H)2. Still other antibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereofinclude variant forms of a variant light chain and a variant heavy chainas just described.

C. CDRs of Antibodies

Complementarity determining regions (CDRs) and framework regions (FR) ofa given antibody may be identified using the system described by Kabatet al., 1991, supra. Certain antibodies that are disclosed hereincomprise one or more amino acid sequences that are identical or havesubstantial sequence identity to the amino acid sequences of one or moreof the CDRs as summarized in Table 2.

TABLE 2 Antibody NT Sequence AA Sequence Designation Chain CDR (SEQ IDNO:) (SEQ ID NO:) 480.12 Heavy CDR1 36 24 480.12 Heavy CDR2 37 25 480.12Heavy CDR3 38 26 480.12 Light CDR1 39 27 480.12 Light CDR2 40 28 480.12Light CDR3 41 29 994.1 Heavy CDR1 42 30 994.1 Heavy CDR2 43 31 994.1Heavy CDR3 44 32 994.1 Light CDR1 45 33 994.1 Light CDR2 46 34 994.1Light CDR3 47 35

The antibodies and antigen-binding fragments that are provided can eachinclude one, two, three, four, five or six of the CDRs listed above.Certain antibodies have variant forms of the CDRs listed in Table 2,with one or more (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6) of the CDRs each having atleast 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, atleast 97%, at least 98% or at least 99% sequence identity to a CDRsequence listed in Table 2. For example, the antibody or antigen-bindingregion can include both a light chain CDR3 and a heavy chain CDR3 thateach have at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, atleast 96%, at least 97%, at least 98% or at least 99% sequence identityto the light chain CDR3 and heavy chain CDR3, respectively, listed inTable 2. The invention also provides for antibodies that have CDRsequences that differ from the CDR sequences listed in Table 2 such thatthe amino acid sequence for any given CDR differs from the sequencelisted in Table 2 by no more than 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 amino acid residues.Differences from the listed sequences usually are conservativesubstitutions (see below).

As a specific example, the antibodies and antigen-binding fragments thatare provided may comprise one or more of the following CDR sequencesfrom the 480.12 light chain:

CDR1: amino acids 50 to 61 of SEQ ID NO: 7, which also corresponds toSEQ ID NO: 27 (encoded by nucleotides 148 to 183 of SEQ ID NO: 6 (SEQ IDNO: 39));

CDR2: amino acids 77 to 84 of SEQ ID NO: 7, which also corresponds toSEQ ID NO: 28 (encoded by nucleotides 229 to 252 of SEQ ID NO: 6 (SEQ IDNO: 40)); and

CDR3: amino acids 116 to 124 of SEQ ID NO: 7, which also corresponds toSEQ ID NO: 29 (encoded by nucleotides 346 to 372 of SEQ ID NO: 6 (SEQ IDNO: 41)).

Additional antibodies and antigen-binding fragments of the invention maycomprise one or more of the following CDR sequences from the 480.12heavy chain:

CDR1: amino acids 45 to 54 of SEQ ID NO: 5, which also corresponds toSEQ ID NO: 24 (encoded by nucleotides 133 to 162 of SEQ ID NO: 4 (SEQ IDNO: 36));

CDR2: amino acids 69 to 84 of SEQ ID NO: 5, which also corresponds toSEQ ID NO: 25 (encoded by nucleotides 205 to 252 of SEQ ID NO: 4 (SEQ IDNO: 37)); and

CDR3: amino acids 118 to 126 of SEQ ID NO: 5, which also corresponds toSEQ ID NO: 26 (encoded by nucleotides 352 to 378 of SEQ ID NO: 4 (SEQ IDNO: 38)).

As another specific example, the antibodies and antigen-bindingfragments that are provided may comprise one or more of the followingCDR sequences from the 994.1 light chain:

CDR1: amino acids 50 to 61 of SEQ ID NO: 11, which also corresponds toSEQ ID NO: 33 (encoded by nucleotides 148 to 183 of SEQ ID NO: 10 (SEQID NO: 45));

CDR2: amino acids 77 to 84 of SEQ ID NO: 11, which also corresponds toSEQ ID NO: 34 (encoded by nucleotides 229 to 252 of SEQ ID NO: 10 (SEQID NO: 46)); and

CDR3: amino acids 116 to 124 of SEQ ID NO: 11, which also corresponds toSEQ ID NO: 35 (encoded by nucleotides 346 to 372 of SEQ ID NO: 10 (SEQID NO: 47)).

Additional antibodies and antigen-binding fragments of the invention maycomprise one or more of the following CDR sequences from the 994.1 heavychain:

CDR1: amino acids 45 to 54 of SEQ ID NO: 9, which also corresponds toSEQ ID NO: 30 (encoded by nucleotides 133 to 162 of SEQ ID NO: 8 (SEQ IDNO: 42));

CDR2: amino acids 69 to 85 of SEQ ID NO: 9, which also corresponds toSEQ ID NO: 31 (encoded by nucleotides 205 to 255 of SEQ ID NO: 8 (SEQ IDNO: 43)); and

CDR3: amino acids 118 to 126 of SEQ ID NO: 9, which also corresponds toSEQ ID NO: 32 (encoded by nucleotides 352 to 378 of SEQ ID NO: 8 (SEQ IDNO: 44)).

Certain antibodies that are disclosed herein comprise one or more aminoacid sequences that comprise one or more CDRs that begin at least oneamino acid before (N-terminal to) the beginning amino acid of the CDRsas summarized in Table 2. Yet other antibodies that are disclosed hereincomprise one or more amino acid sequences that comprise one or more CDRsthat begin at least two, at least three, or at least four amino acidsbefore (N-terminal to) the beginning amino acid of the CDRs assummarized in Table 2. Certain other antibodies that are disclosedherein comprise one or more amino acid sequences that comprise one ormore CDRs that end at least one amino acid after (C-terminal to) thelast amino acid of the CDRs as summarized in Table 2. Yet otherantibodies that are disclosed herein comprise one or more amino acidsequences that comprise one or more CDRs that end at least two, at leastthree, or at least four amino acids after (C-terminal to) the last aminoacid of the CDRs as summarized in Table 2. Other antibodies disclosedherein comprise one or more amino acid sequences that comprise acombination of one or more CDRs with one, two, three or four amino aciddifferences at the start and/or stop of the CDRs as summarized in Table2.

Polypeptides comprising one or more of the light or heavy chain CDRs maybe produced by using a suitable vector to express the polypeptides in asuitable host cell as described in greater detail below.

The heavy and light chain variable regions and the CDRs that aredisclosed in Tables 1 and 2 can be used to prepare any of the varioustypes of antigen-binding fragments that are known in the art including,but not limited to, domain antibodies, Fab fragments, Fab′ fragments,F(ab′)₂ fragments, Fv fragments, single-chain antibodies, and scFvs.

D. Antibodies and Binding Epitopes

When an antibody is said to bind an epitope within specified residues,such as NTB-A, for example, what is meant is that the antibody bindswith high affinity to a polypeptide consisting of the specified residues(e.g., a specified segment of NTB-A). Such an antibody does notnecessarily contact every residue within NTB-A. Nor does every singleamino acid substitution or deletion within NTB-A necessarilysignificantly affect binding affinity. Epitope specificity of anantibody can be determined in a variety of ways. One approach, forexample, involves testing a collection of overlapping peptides of about15 amino acids spanning the sequence of NTB-A and differing inincrements of a small number of amino acids (e.g., 3 to 30 amino acids).The peptides are immobilized in separate wells of a microtiter dish.Immobilization can be effected by biotinylating one terminus of thepeptides. Optionally, different samples of the same peptide can bebiotinylated at the N and C terminus and immobilized in separate wellsfor purposes of comparison. This is useful for identifying end-specificantibodies. Optionally, additional peptides can be included terminatingat a particular amino acid of interest. This approach is useful foridentifying end-specific antibodies to internal fragments of NTB-A. Anantibody or antigen-binding fragment is screened for binding to each ofthe various peptides. The epitope is defined as occurring with a segmentof amino acids that is common to all peptides to which the antibodyshows high affinity binding. Details regarding a specific approach fordefining an epitope are set forth in Example 4.

Antibodies and antigen-binding fragments thereof that bind to an epitopethat is located in the carboxy-terminal portion of the first Ig domainof NTB-A (e.g., SEQ ID NO: 17; see FIG. 2) are also provided. Exemplaryantibodies capable of binding to the aforementioned epitope are themonoclonal antibodies 480.12 and 994.1 and chimeric monoclonalantibodies 480.12/77 and 994.1/9, each of which comprise a light chainand a heavy chain.

In one aspect of the invention, peptides comprising or consisting ofamino acids 22 to 184 of SEQ ID NO: 2 (e.g., SEQ ID NO: 12) areprovided. Other peptides comprise or consist of amino acids 22 to 154 ofSEQ ID NO: 2 (e.g., SEQ ID NO: 13) are provided. Still other peptidesthat are provided comprise or consist of amino acids 22 to 124 of SEQ IDNO: 2 (e.g., SEQ ID NO: 14). Other peptides that are provided compriseor consist of amino acids 95 to 124 of SEQ ID NO: 2 (e.g., SEQ ID NO:17). Such peptides are shorter than the full-length protein sequence ofa native NTB-A (e.g., the peptides may include one or more of theforgoing regions and be 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23,24, 25, 30, 40, 50, 75, 100, 150, or 200 amino acids in length). Thesepeptides may be fused to another peptide to increase immunogenicity andthus be in the form of a fusion protein.

E. Monoclonal Antibodies

The antibodies that are provided include monoclonal antibodies that bindto NTB-A. Monoclonal antibodies may be produced using any techniqueknown in the art, e.g., by immortalizing spleen cells harvested from atransgenic or non-transgenic animal after completion of the immunizationschedule. The spleen cells can be immortalized using any technique knownin the art, e.g., by fusing them with myeloma cells to producehybridomas. Myeloma cells for use in hybridoma-producing fusionprocedures preferably are non-antibody-producing, have high fusionefficiency, and enzyme deficiencies that render them incapable ofgrowing in certain selective media which support the growth of only thedesired fused cells (hybridomas). Examples of suitable cell lines foruse in mouse fusions include Sp-20, P3-X63/Ag8, P3-X63-Ag8.653,NS1/1.Ag41, Sp210-Ag14, FO, NSO/U, MPC-11, MPC11-X45-GTG 1.7 andS194/5XXO Bul; examples of cell lines used in rat fusions includeR210.RCY3, Y3-Ag1.2.3, 1R983F and 4B210. Other cell lines useful forcell fusions are U-266, GM1500-GRG2, LICR-LON-HMy2 and UC729-6.

In some instances, a hybridoma cell line is produced by immunizing ananimal (e.g., a transgenic animal having human immunoglobulin sequences)with an NTB-A immunogen; harvesting spleen cells from the immunizedanimal; fusing the harvested spleen cells to a myeloma cell line,thereby generating hybridoma cells; establishing hybridoma cell linesfrom the hybridoma cells, and identifying a hybridoma cell line thatproduces an antibody that binds a NTB-A polypeptide. Such hybridoma celllines, and anti-NTB-A monoclonal antibodies produced by them, areencompassed by the present invention.

Monoclonal antibodies secreted by a hybridoma cell line can be purifiedusing any technique known in the art. Hybridomas or mAbs may be furtherscreened to identify mAbs with particular properties, such as blockingNTB-A activity or inducing cell killing through ADCC or CMC.

F. Chimeric and Humanized Antibodies

Chimeric and humanized antibodies based upon the foregoing sequences arealso provided. Monoclonal antibodies for use as therapeutic agents maybe modified in various ways prior to use. One example is a “chimeric”antibody, which is an antibody composed of protein segments fromdifferent antibodies that are covalently joined to produce functionalimmunoglobulin light or heavy chains or antigen-binding fragmentsthereof. Generally, a portion of the heavy chain and/or light chain isidentical with, or homologous to, a corresponding sequence in antibodiesderived from a particular species or belonging to a particular antibodyclass or subclass, while the remainder of the chain(s) is/are identicalor homologous to a corresponding sequence in antibodies derived fromanother species or belonging to another antibody class or subclass. Formethods relating to chimeric antibodies, see, for example, U.S. Pat. No.4,816,567; and Morrison et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 81:6851-6855(1985), which are hereby incorporated by reference. CDR grafting isdescribed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,180,370, 5,693,762,5,693,761, 5,585,089, and 5,530,101, which are all hereby incorporatedby reference for all purposes.

Generally, the goal of making a chimeric antibody is to create a chimerain which the number of amino acids from the intended patent species ismaximized. One example is the “CDR-grafted” antibody, in which theantibody comprises one or more complementarity determining regions(CDRs) from a particular species or belonging to a particular antibodyclass or subclass, while the remainder of the antibody chain(s) is/areidentical with or homologous to a corresponding sequence in antibodiesderived from another species or belonging to another antibody class orsubclass. For use in humans, the V region or selected CDRs from a rodentantibody often are grafted into a human antibody, replacing thenaturally-occurring V regions or CDRs of the human antibody.

One useful type of chimeric antibody is a “humanized” antibody.Generally, a humanized antibody is produced from a monoclonal antibodyraised initially in a non-human animal. Certain amino acid residues inthis monoclonal antibody, typically from non-antigen recognizingportions of the antibody, are modified to be homologous to correspondingresidues in a human antibody or corresponding isotype. Preferably,anti-NTB-A humanized antibodies contain minimal sequence derived fromnon-human immunoglobulin sequences. For the most part, humanizedantibodies are human immunoglobulins (recipient antibody) in whichresidues from a hypervariable region of the recipient are replaced byresidues from a hypervariable region of a non-human species (donorantibody) such as mouse, rat, rabbit or nonhuman primate having thedesired specificity, affinity, and capacity. See, for example, U.S. Pat.Nos. 5,225,539; 5,585,089; 5,693,761; 5,693,762; 5,859,205. In someinstances, framework residues of the human immunoglobulin are replacedby corresponding non-human residues (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos.5,585,089; 5,693,761; 5,693,762). Furthermore, humanized antibodies maycomprise residues that are not found in the recipient antibody or in thedonor antibody. These modifications are made to further refine antibodyperformance (e.g., to obtain desired affinity). In general, thehumanized antibody will comprise substantially all of at least one, andtypically two, variable domains, in which all or substantially all ofthe hypervariable regions correspond to those of a non-humanimmunoglobulin and all or substantially all of the framework regions arethose of a human immunoglobulin sequence. The humanized antibodyoptionally also will comprise at least a portion of an immunoglobulinconstant region (Fc), typically that of a human immunoglobulin. Forfurther details see Jones et al., Nature 331:522-525 (1986); Riechmannet al., Nature 332:323-329 (1988); and Presta, Curr. Op. Struct. Biol.2:593-596 (1992); Verhoeyen et al., Science 239:1534-36 (1988)).

In one aspect of the invention, the CDRs of the light and heavy chainvariable regions of the antibodies provided herein (see Table 2) aregrafted to framework regions (FRs) from antibodies from the same, or adifferent, phylogenetic species. For example, the CDRs of the light andheavy chain variable regions of the 480.12 antibody can be grafted toconsensus human FRs. To create consensus human FRs, FRs from severalhuman heavy chain or light chain amino acid sequences may be aligned toidentify a consensus amino acid sequence. In other embodiments, the FRsof the 480.12 antibody heavy or light chain are replaced with the FRsfrom a different heavy chain or light chain. In one aspect of theinvention, rare amino acids in the FRs of the heavy and light chains ofanti-NTB-A antibody are not replaced, while the rest of the FR aminoacids are replaced. A “rare amino acid” is a specific amino acid that isin a position in which this particular amino acid is not usually foundin an FR. Alternatively, the grafted variable regions from the 480.12antibody may be used with a constant region that is different from theconstant region of 480.12. In another aspect of this embodiment, theCDRs of the light and heavy chain variable regions of the 994.1 antibodycan be used. In other embodiments of the invention, the grafted variableregions are part of a single chain Fv antibody.

In certain embodiments, constant regions from species other than humancan be used along with the human variable region(s) to produce hybridantibodies.

Also encompassed are xenogeneic or modified anti-NTB-A antibodiesproduced in a non-human mammalian host, more particularly a transgenicmouse, characterized by inactivated endogenous immunoglobulin (Ig) loci.In such transgenic animals, competent endogenous genes for theexpression of light and heavy subunits of host immunoglobulins arerendered non-functional and substituted with the analogous humanimmunoglobulin loci. These transgenic animals produce human antibodiesin the substantial absence of light or heavy host immunoglobulinsubunits. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,939,598.

Antibody fragments that retain the ability to recognize the antigen ofinterest, will also find use herein. A number of antibody fragments areknown in the art which comprise antigen-binding sites capable ofexhibiting immunological binding properties of an intact antibodymolecule. For example, functional antibody fragments can be produced bycleaving a constant region, not responsible for antigen binding, fromthe antibody molecule, using e.g., pepsin, to produce F(ab′)₂ fragments.These fragments can contain two antigen binding sites, but lack aportion of the constant region from each of the heavy chains. Similarly,if desired, Fab fragments, comprising a single antigen binding site, canbe produced, e.g., by digestion of polyclonal or monoclonal antibodieswith papain. Functional fragments, including only the variable regionsof the heavy and light chains, can also be produced, using standardtechniques such as recombinant production or preferential proteolyticcleavage of immunoglobulin molecules. These fragments are known as Fv.See, e.g., Inbar et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 69:2659-2662 (1972);Hochman et al., Biochem. 15:2706-2710 (1976); and Ehrlich et al.,Biochem. 19:4091-4096 (1980).

A phage-display system can be used to expand antibody moleculepopulations in vitro. Saiki, et al., Nature 324:163 (1986); Scharf etal., Science 233:1076 (1986); U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,683,195 and 4,683,202;Yang et al., J Mol Biol. 254:392 (1995); Barbas, III et al., Methods:Comp. Meth Enzymol. (1995) 8:94; Barbas, III et al., Proc Natl Acad SciUSA 88:7978 (1991).

Once generated, the phage display library can be used to improve theimmunological binding affinity of the Fab molecules using knowntechniques. See, e.g., Figini et al., J. Mol. Biol. 239:68 (1994). Thecoding sequences for the heavy and light chain portions of the Fabmolecules selected from the phage display library can be isolated orsynthesized, and cloned into any suitable vector or replicon forexpression. Any suitable expression system can be used, including thosedescribed above.

Single chain antibodies are also within the scope of the presentinvention. A single-chain Fv (“sFv” or “scFv”) polypeptide is acovalently linked V_(H)-V_(L) heterodimer which is expressed from a genefusion including V_(H)- and V_(L)-encoding genes linked by apeptide-encoding linker. Huston et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA85:5879-5883 (1988). A number of methods have been described to discernand develop chemical structures (linkers) for converting the naturallyaggregated, but chemically separated, light and heavy polypeptide chainsfrom an antibody V region into an scFv molecule which will fold into athree-dimensional structure substantially similar to the structure of anantigen-binding site. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,091,513, 5,132,405 and4,946,778. The scFv molecules may be produced using methods described inthe art. See, e.g., Huston et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA85:5879-5883 (1988); U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,091,513, 5,132,405 and 4,946,778.Design criteria include determining the appropriate length to span thedistance between the C-terminus of one chain and the N-terminus of theother, wherein the linker is generally formed from small hydrophilicamino acid residues that do not tend to coil or form secondarystructures. Such methods have been described in the art and are wellknown. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,091,513, 5,132,405 and 4,946,778.Suitable linkers generally comprise polypeptide chains of alternatingsets of glycine and serine residues, and may include glutamic acid andlysine residues inserted to enhance solubility.

“Mini-antibodies” or “minibodies” are also within the scope of thepresent invention. Minibodies are scFv polypeptide chains that includeoligomerization domains at their C-termini, separated from the sFv by ahinge region. Pack et al., Biochem. 31:1579-1584 (1992). Theoligomerization domain comprises self-associating α-helices, e.g.,leucine zippers, that can be further stabilized by additional disulfidebonds. The oligomerization domain is designed to be compatible withvectorial folding across a membrane, a process thought to facilitate invivo folding of the polypeptide into a functional binding protein.Generally, minibodies are produced using recombinant methods well knownin the art. See, e.g., Pack et al., Biochem. 31:1579-1584 (1992); Cumberet al., J. Immunology 149B:120-126 (1992).

G. Fully Human Antibodies

Fully human antibodies are also provided. Methods are available formaking fully human antibodies specific for a given antigen withoutexposing human beings to the antigen (“fully human antibodies”). Onemeans for implementing the production of fully human antibodies is the“humanization” of the mouse humoral immune system. Introduction of humanimmunoglobulin (Ig) loci into mice in which the endogenous Ig genes havebeen inactivated is one means of producing fully human monoclonalantibodies (mAbs) in mouse, an animal that can be immunized with anydesirable antigen. Using fully human antibodies can minimize theimmunogenic and allergic responses that can sometimes be caused byadministering mouse or mouse-derivatized mAbs to humans as therapeuticagents.

In one embodiment, human antibodies may be produced in a non-humantransgenic animal, e.g., a transgenic mouse capable of producingmultiple isotypes of human antibodies to NTB-A (e.g., IgG, IgA, and/orIgE) by undergoing V-D-J recombination and isotype switching.Accordingly, aspects of the invention include not only antibodies,antibody fragments, and pharmaceutical compositions thereof, but alsonon-human transgenic animals, B-cells, host cells, and hybridomas whichproduce anti-NTB-A monoclonal antibodies. Methods of using theantibodies of the invention to detect a cell expressing NTB-A, either invivo or in vitro, are also encompassed by the invention. The presentinvention further encompasses pharmaceutical preparations containing theantibodies of the present invention, and methods of treatingphysiological disorders, e.g., hematopoietic-based cancers, byadministering the antibodies of the present invention.

Fully human antibodies can be produced by immunizing transgenic animals(usually mice) that are capable of producing a repertoire of humanantibodies in the absence of endogenous immunoglobulin production.Antigens for this purpose typically have six or more contiguous aminoacids, and optionally are conjugated to a carrier, such as a hapten.See, for example, Jakobovits et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA90:2551-2555 (1993); Jakobovits et al., Nature 362:255-258 (1993);Bruggermann et al., Year in Immunol. 7:33 (1993). In one example of sucha method, transgenic animals are produced by incapacitating theendogenous mouse immunoglobulin loci encoding the mouse heavy and lightimmunoglobulin chains therein, and inserting into the mouse genome largefragments of human genome DNA containing loci that encode human heavyand light chain proteins. Partially modified animals, which have lessthan the full complement of human immunoglobulin loci, are thencross-bred to obtain an animal having all of the desired immune systemmodifications. When administered an immunogen, these transgenic animalsproduce antibodies that are immunospecific for the immunogen but havehuman rather than murine amino acid sequences, including the variableregions. For further details of such methods, see, for example,International Patent Application Publication Nos. WO 96/33735 and WO94/02602, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.Additional methods relating to transgenic mice for making humanantibodies are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,545,807; 6,713,610;6,673,986; 6,162,963; 6,300,129; 6,255,458; 5,877,397; 5,874,299 and5,545,806; in International Patent Application Publication Nos. WO91/10741 and WO 90/04036; and in European Patent Nos. EP 546073B1 and EP546073A1, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety for all purposes.

The transgenic mice described above, referred to herein as “HuMAb” mice,contain a human immunoglobulin gene minilocus that encodes unrearrangedhuman heavy (μ and γ) and κ light chain immunoglobulin sequences,together with targeted mutations that inactivate the endogenous μ and κchain loci (Lonberg et al., Nature 368:856-859 (1994)). Accordingly, themice exhibit reduced expression of mouse IgM or κ chains and in responseto immunization, the introduced human heavy and light chain transgenesundergo class switching and somatic mutation to generate high affinityhuman IgG K monoclonal antibodies (Lonberg et al., supra; Lonberg andHuszar, Intern. Ref. Immunol. 13:65-93 (1995); Harding and Lonberg, Ann.N.Y. Acad. Sci. 764:536-546 (1995)). The preparation of HuMAb mice isdescribed in detail in Taylor et al., Nucl. Acids Res. 20:6287-6295(1992); Chen et al., Int. Immunol. 5:647-656 (1993); Tuaillon et al., J.Immunol. 152:2912-2920 (1994); Lonberg et al., supra; Lonberg, Handbookof Exp. Pharmacol. 113:49-101 (1994); Taylor et al., Int. Immunol.6:579-591 (1994); Lonberg and Huszar, Intern. Ref. Immunol. 13:65-93(1995); Harding and Lonberg, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 764:536-546 (1995);Fishwild et al., Nat. Biotechnol. 14:845-851 (1996); the foregoingreferences are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety forall purposes. See further, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,545,806; 5,569,825;5,625,126; 5,633,425; 5,789,650; 5,877,397; 5,661,016; 5,814,318;5,874,299; 5,770,429; and 5,545,807; as well as International PatentApplication Publication Nos. WO 93/1227; WO 92/22646; and WO 92/03918,the disclosures of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entirety for all purposes. Technologies utilized for producinghuman antibodies in these transgenic mice are disclosed also in WO98/24893, and Mendez et al., Nat. Genetics 15:146-156 (1997), which areherein incorporated by reference. For example, the HCo7 and HCo12transgenic mice strains can be used to generate human anti-NTB-Aantibodies.

Using hybridoma technology, antigen-specific human mAbs with the desiredspecificity can be produced and selected from the transgenic mice suchas those described above. Such antibodies may be cloned and expressedusing a suitable vector and host cell, or the antibodies can beharvested from cultured hybridoma cells.

Fully human antibodies can also be derived from phage-display libraries(as disclosed in Hoogenboom et al., J. Mol. Biol. 227:381 (1991); andMarks et al., J. Mol. Biol. 222:581 (1991)). Phage-display techniquesmimic immune selection through the display of antibody repertoires onthe surface of filamentous bacteriophage, and subsequent selection ofphage by their binding to an antigen of choice. One such technique isdescribed in International Patent Application Publication No. WO99/10494 (herein incorporated by reference), which describes theisolation of high affinity and functional agonistic antibodies for MPL-and msk-receptors using such an approach.

H. Bispecific or Bifunctional Antibodies

The antibodies that are provided also include bispecific andbifunctional antibodies that include one or more CDRs or one or morevariable regions as described above. A bispecific or bifunctionalantibody in some instances is an artificial hybrid antibody having twodifferent heavy/light chain pairs and two different binding sites.Bispecific antibodies may be produced by a variety of methods including,but not limited to, fusion of hybridomas or linking of Fab′ fragments.See, e.g., Songsivilai and Lachmann, Clin. Exp. Immunol. 79:315-321(1990); Kostelny et al., J. Immunol. 148:1547-1553 (1992).

I. Various Other Forms

Some of the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that are providedare variant forms of the antibodies and fragments disclosed above (e.g.,those having the sequences listed in Tables 1 and 2). For instance, someof the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments are ones having one ormore conservative amino acid substitutions in one or more of the heavyor light chains, variable regions or CDRs listed in Tables 1 and 2.

Naturally-occurring amino acids may be divided into classes based oncommon side chain properties:

-   -   1) hydrophobic: norleucine, Met, Ala, Val, Leu, Ile;    -   2) neutral hydrophilic: Cys, Ser, Thr, Asn, Gln;    -   3) acidic: Asp, Glu;    -   4) basic: His, Lys, Arg;    -   5) residues that influence chain orientation: Gly, Pro; and    -   6) aromatic: Trp, Tyr, Phe.

Conservative amino acid substitutions may involve exchange of a memberof one of these classes with another member of the same class.Conservative amino acid substitutions may encompass non-naturallyoccurring amino acid residues, which are typically incorporated bychemical peptide synthesis rather than by synthesis in biologicalsystems. These include peptidomimetics and other reversed or invertedforms of amino acid moieties.

Non-conservative substitutions may involve the exchange of a member ofone of the classes for a member from another class. Such substitutedresidues may be introduced into regions of the antibody that arehomologous with human antibodies, or into the non-homologous regions ofthe molecule.

In making such changes, according to certain embodiments, thehydropathic profile of a protein is calculated by assigning each aminoacid a numerical value (“hydropathy index”) and then repetitivelyaveraging these values along the peptide chain. Each amino acid has beenassigned a hydropathic index on the basis of its hydrophobicity andcharge characteristics. They are: isoleucine (+4.5); valine (+4.2);leucine (+3.8); phenylalanine (+2.8); cysteine/cysteine (+2.5);methionine (+1.9); alanine (+1.8); glycine (−0.4); threonine (−0.7);serine (−0.8); tryptophan (−0.9); tyrosine (−1.3); proline (1.6);histidine (−3.2); glutamate (−3.5); glutamine (−3.5); aspartate (−3.5);asparagine (−3.5); lysine (−3.9); and arginine (−4.5).

The importance of the hydropathic profile in conferring interactivebiological function on a protein is understood in the art (see, forexample, Kyte et al., J. Mol. Biol. 157:105-131 (1982)). It is knownthat certain amino acids may be substituted for other amino acid shavinga similar hydropathic index or score and still retain a similarbiological activity. In making changes based upon the hydropathic index,in certain embodiments, the substitution of amino acids whosehydropathic indices are within ±2 is included. In some aspects of theinvention, those which are within ±1 are included, and in other aspectsof the invention, those within ±0.5 are included).

It is also understood in the art that the substitution of like aminoacids can be made effectively on the basis of hydrophilicity,particularly where the biologically functional protein or peptidethereby created is intended for use in immunological embodiments, as inthe present case. In certain embodiments, the greatest local averagehydrophilicity of a protein, as governed by the hydrophilicity of itsadjacent amino acids, correlates with its immunogenicity andantigen-binding, that is, with a biological property of the protein.

The following hydrophilicity values have been assigned to these aminoacid residues: arginine (+3.0); lysine (+3.0); aspartate (+3.0±1);glutamate (+3.0±1); serine (+0.3); asparagine (+0.2); glutamine (+0.2);glycine (0); threonine (−0.4); proline (−0.5±1); alanine (−0.5);histidine (−0.5); cysteine (−1.0); methionine (−1.3); valine (−1.5);leucine (−1.8); isoleucine (−1.8); tyrosine (−2.3); phenylalanine(−2.5); and tryptophan (−3.4). In making changes based upon similarhydrophilicity values, in certain embodiments, the substitution of aminoacids whose hydrophilicity values are within ±2 are included, in otherembodiments, whose which are within ±1 are included, and in still otherembodiments, those within ±0.5 are included. In some instances, one mayalso identify epitopes from primary amino acid sequences on the basis ofhydrophilicity. These regions are also referred to as “epitopic coreregions.”

Exemplary conservative amino acid substitutions are set forth in Table3.

TABLE 3 Original Residues Exemplary Substitutions Ala Val, Leu, Ile ArgLys, Gln, Asn Asn Gln Asp Glu Cys Ser, Ala Gln Asn Glu Asp Gly Pro, AlaHis Asn, Gln, Lys, Arg Ile Leu, Val, Met, Ala, Phe, Norleucine LeuNorleucine, Ile, Val, Met, Ala, Phe Lys Arg, Gln, Asn, 1,4diamine-butryic acid Met Leu, Phe, Ile Phe Leu, Val, Ile, Ala, Tyr ProAla Ser Thr, Ala, Cys Thr Ser Trp Tyr, Phe Tyr Trp, Phe, Thr, Ser ValIle, Met, Leu, Phe, Ala, Norleucine

A skilled artisan will be able to determine suitable variants ofpolypeptides as set forth herein using well-known techniques. Oneskilled in the art may identify suitable areas of the molecule that maybe changed without destroying activity by targeting regions not believedto be important for activity. The skilled artisan also will be able toidentify residues and portions of the molecules that are conserved amongsimilar polypeptides. In further embodiments, even areas that may beimportant for biological activity or for structure may be subject toconservative amino acid substitutions without destroying the biologicalactivity or without adversely affecting the polypeptide structure.

Additionally, one skilled in the art can review structure-functionstudies identifying residues in similar polypeptides that are importantfor activity or structure. In view of such a comparison, one can predictthe importance of amino acid residues in a protein that correspond toamino acid residues important for activity or structure in similarproteins. One skilled in the art may opt for chemically similar aminoacid substitutions for such predicted important amino acid residues.

One skilled in the art can also analyze the three-dimensional structureand amino acid sequence in relation to that structure in similarpolypeptides. In view of such information, one skilled in the art maypredict the alignment of amino acid residues of an antibody with respectto its three-dimensional structure. One skilled in the art may choosenot to make radical changes to amino acid residues predicted to be onthe surface of the protein, since such residues may be involved inimportant interactions with other molecules. Moreover, one skilled inthe art may generate test variants containing a single amino acidsubstitution at each desired amino acid residue. These variants can thenbe screened using assays for NTB-A binding, ADCC and/or CMC activity(see Examples below) thus yielding information gathered from suchroutine experiments, one skilled in the art can readily determine theamino acid positions where further substitutions should be avoidedeither alone or in combination with other mutations.

A number of scientific publications have been devoted to the predictionof secondary structure. See, Moult, Curr. Op. Biotech 7:422-427 (1996);Chou et al., Biochemistry 13:222-245 (1974); Chou et al., Biochemistry13:211-222 (1974); Chou et al., Adv. Enzymol. Relat. Areas Mol. Biol.47:45-148 (1978); Chou et al., Ann. Rev. Biochem. 47:251-276 (1979); andChou et al., Biophys J. 26:367-384 (1979). Moreover, computer programsare currently available to assist with predicting secondary structure.One method of predicting secondary structure is based upon homologymodeling. For example, two polypeptides or proteins that have a sequenceidentity of greater than 30%, or similarity of greater than 40% oftenhave similar structural topologies. The growth of the protein structuraldatabase (PDB) has provided enhanced predictability of secondarystructure, including the potential number of folds within apolypeptide's or protein's structure. See, Holm et al., Nucl. Acids Res.27:244-247 (1999). It has been suggested (Brenner et al., Curr. Op.Struct. Biol. 7:369-376 (1997)) that there are a limited number of foldsin a given polypeptide or protein and that once a critical number ofstructures have been resolved, structural prediction will becomedramatically more accurate.

Additional methods of predicting secondary structure include “threading”(Jones, Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. 7:377-87 (1997); Sippl et al.,Structure 4:15-19 (1996)), “profile analysis” (Bowie et al., Science253:164-170 (1991); Gribskov et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA84:4355-4358 (1987)), and “evolutionary linkage” (See, Holm, 1999,supra; and Brenner, 1997, supra).

In some embodiments of the invention, amino acid substitutions are madethat: (1) reduce susceptibility to proteolysis, (2) reducesusceptibility to oxidation, (3) alter binding affinity for formingprotein complexes, (4) alter ligand or antigen binding affinities,and/or (5) confer or modify other physicochemical or functionalproperties on such polypeptides. For example, single or multiple aminoacid substitutions (in certain embodiments, conservative amino acidsubstitutions) may be made in the naturally-occurring sequence.Substitutions can be made in that portion of the antibody that liesoutside the domain(s) forming intermolecular contacts. In suchembodiments, conservative amino acid substitutions can be used that donot substantially change the structural characteristics of the parentsequence (e.g., one or more replacement amino acids that do not disruptthe secondary structure that characterizes the parent or nativeantibody). Examples of art-recognized polypeptide secondary and tertiarystructures are described in Proteins, Structures and MolecularPrinciples (Creighton, Ed.), 1984, W.H. New York: Freeman and Company;Introduction to Protein Structure (Brandon and Tooze, eds.), 1991 NewYork: Garland Publishing; and Thornton et al., Nature 354:105 (1991),each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety forall purposes.

The invention also encompasses glycosylation variants of the inventiveantibodies wherein the number and/or type of glycosylation site(s) hasbeen altered compared to the amino acid sequences of the parentpolypeptide. In certain embodiments, antibody protein variants comprisea greater or a lesser number of N-linked glycosylation sites than thenative antibody. An N-linked glycosylation site is characterized by thesequence: Asn-X-Ser or Asn-X-Thr, wherein the amino acid residuedesignated as X may be any amino acid residue except proline. Thesubstitution of amino acid residues to create this sequence provides apotential new site for the addition of an N-linked carbohydrate chain.Alternatively, substitutions that eliminate or alter this sequence willprevent addition of an N-linked carbohydrate chain present in the nativepolypeptide. For example, the glycosylation can be reduced by thedeletion of an Asn or by substituting the Asn with a different aminoacid. In other embodiments, one or more new N-linked glycosylation sitesare created. Antibodies typically have a N-linked glycosylation site inthe Fc region.

Additional preferred antibody variants include cysteine variants whereinone or more cysteine residues in the parent or native amino acidsequence are deleted from or substituted with another amino acid (e.g.,serine). Cysteine variants are useful, inter alia, when antibodies mustbe refolded into a biologically active conformation. Cysteine variantsmay have fewer cysteine residues than the native antibody, and typicallyhave an even number to minimize interactions resulting from unpairedcysteines.

The heavy and light chains, variable region domains and CDRs that aredisclosed can be used to prepare polypeptides that contain anantigen-binding fragment that can specifically bind to a NTB-A molecule.For example, one or more of the CDRs listed in Table 2 can beincorporated into a molecule (e.g., a polypeptide) covalently ornoncovalently to make an immunoadhesion. An immunoadhesion mayincorporate the CDR(s) as part of a larger polypeptide chain, maycovalently link the CDR(s) to another polypeptide chain, or mayincorporate the CDR(s) noncovalently. The CDR(s) enable theimmunoadhesion to bind specifically to a particular antigen of interest(e.g., an NTB-A polypeptide or epitope thereof).

Mimetics (e.g., “peptide mimetics” or “peptidomimetics”) based upon thevariable region domains and CDRs that are described herein are alsoprovided. These analogs can be peptides, non-peptides or combinations ofpeptide and non-peptide regions. Fauchere, Adv. Drug Res. 15:29 (1986);Veber and Freidiner, TINS p. 392 (1985); and Evans et al., J. Med. Chem.30:1229 (1987), which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety for any purpose. Peptide mimetics that are structurally similarto therapeutically useful peptides may be used to produce a similartherapeutic or prophylactic effect. Such compounds are often developedwith the aid of computerized molecular modeling. Generally,peptidomimetics of the invention are proteins that are structurallysimilar to an antibody displaying a desired biological activity, such asthe ability to bind NTB-A, but have one or more peptide linkagesoptionally replaced by a linkage selected from:

—CH₂NH—, —CH₂S—, —CH₂—CH₂—, —CH═CH— (cis and trans), —COCH₂—,—CH(OH)CH₂—, and —CH₂SO— by methods well known in the art. Systematicsubstitution of one or more amino acids of a consensus sequence with aD-amino acid of the same type (e.g., D-lysine in place of L-lysine) maybe used in certain embodiments of the invention to generate more stableproteins. In addition, constrained peptides comprising a consensussequence or a substantially identical consensus sequence variation maybe generated by methods known in the art (Rizo and Gierasch, Ann. Rev.Biochem. 61:387 (1992), incorporated herein by reference), for example,by adding internal cysteine residues capable of forming intramoleculardisulfide bridges which cyclize the peptide.

Derivatives of the antibodies and antigen binding fragments that aredescribed herein are also provided. The derivatized antibody or fragmentmay comprise any molecule or substance that imparts a desired propertyto the antibody or fragment, such as increased half-life in a particularuse. The derivatized antibody can comprise, for example, a detectable(or labeling) moiety (e.g., a radioactive, calorimetric, antigenic orenzymatic molecule, a detectable bead [such as a magnetic orelectrodense (e.g., gold) bead], or a molecule that binds to anothermolecule (e.g., biotin or streptavidin), a therapeutic or diagnosticmoiety (e.g., a radioactive, cytotoxic, or pharmaceutically activemoiety), or a molecule that increases the suitability of the antibodyfor a particular use (e.g., administration to a subject, such as a humansubject, or other in vivo or in vitro uses). Examples of molecules thatcan be used to derivatize an antibody include albumin (e.g., human serumalbumin) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). Albumin-linked and PEGylatedderivatives of antibodies can be prepared using techniques well known inthe art. In one embodiment, the antibody is conjugated or otherwiselinked to transthyretin (TTR) or a TTR variant. The TTR or TTR variantcan be chemically modified with, for example, a chemical selected fromthe group consisting of dextran, poly(n-vinyl pyrrolidone), polyethyleneglycols, propropylene glycol homopolymers, polypropylene oxide/ethyleneoxide co-polymers, polyoxyethylated polyols and polyvinyl alcohols.

Other derivatives include covalent or aggregative conjugates ofanti-NTB-A antibodies, or antigen-binding fragments thereof, with otherproteins or polypeptides, such as by expression of recombinant fusionproteins comprising heterologous polypeptides fused to the N-terminus orC-terminus of an anti-NTB-A antibody polypeptide. For example, theconjugated peptide may be a heterologous signal (or leader) polypeptide,e.g., the yeast alpha-factor leader, or a peptide such as an epitope tag(e.g., V5-His). Anti-NTB-A antibody-containing fusion proteins cancomprise peptides added to facilitate purification or identification ofthe anti-NTB-A antibody (e.g., poly-His). An anti-NTB-A antibodypolypeptide also can be linked to the FLAG® (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis,Mo.) peptide as described in Hopp et al., Bio/Technology 6:1204 (1988),and U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,912. The FLAG® peptide is highly antigenic andprovides an epitope reversibly bound by a specific monoclonal antibodyenabling reversibly rapid assay and facile purification of expressedrecombinant protein. Reagents useful for preparing fusion proteins inwhich the FLAG® peptide is fused to a given polypeptide are commerciallyavailable (Sigma, St. Louis, Mo., USA).

Oligomers that contain one or more anti-NTB-A antibody polypeptides maybe employed as NTB-A antagonists. Oligomers may be in the form ofcovalently-linked or non-covalently linked dimers, trimers, or higheroligomers. Oligomers comprising two or more anti-NTB-A antibodypolypeptides are contemplated for use, with one example being ahomodimer. Other oligomers include heterodimers, homotrimers,heterotrimers, homotetramers, heterotetramers, etc.

One embodiment is directed to oligomers comprising multiple anti-NTB-Aantibody polypeptides joined via covalent or non-covalent interactionsbetween peptide moieties fused to the anti-NTB-A antibody polypeptides.Such peptides may be peptide linkers (spacers), or peptides that havethe property of promoting oligomerization. Leucine zippers and certainpolypeptides derived from antibodies are among the peptides that canpromote oligomerization of anti-NTB-A antibody polypeptides attachedthereto, as described in more detail below.

In particular embodiments, the oligomers comprise from two to fouranti-NTB-A polypeptides. The anti-NTB-A antibody moieties of theoligomer may be in any of the forms described above, e.g., variants orfragments. Preferably, the oligomers comprise anti-NTB-A antibodypolypeptides that have NTB-A binding activity.

In one embodiment, an oligomer is prepared using polypeptides derivedfrom immunoglobulins. Preparation of fusion proteins comprising certainheterologous polypeptides fused to various portions of antibody-derivedpolypeptides (including the Fc domain) has been described, e.g., byAshkenazi et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88:10535 (1991); Byrn etal., Nature 344:677 (1990); and Hollenbaugh et al., 1992 “Constructionof Immunoglobulin Fusion Proteins,” in Current Protocols in Immunology,”Suppl 4, pages 10.19.1-10.19.11.

One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a dimercomprising two fusion proteins created by fusing a NTB-A bindingfragment of an anti-NTB-A antibody to the Fc region of an antibody. Thedimer can be made by, for example, inserting a gene fusion encoding thefusion protein into an appropriate expression vector, expressing thegene fusion in host cells transformed with the recombinant expressionvector, and allowing the expressed fusion protein to assemble much likeantibody molecules, whereupon interchain disulfide bonds form betweenthe Fc moieties to yield the dimer.

The term “Fc polypeptide” as used herein includes native and muteinforms of polypeptides derived from the Fc region of an antibody.Truncated forms of such polypeptides containing the hinge region thatpromotes dimerization also are included. Fusion proteins comprising Fcmoieties (and oligomers formed therefrom) offer the advantage of facilepurification by affinity chromatography over Protein A or Protein Gcolumns.

One suitable Fc polypeptide, described in International PatentApplication Publication No. WO 93/10151 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,426,048 and5,262,522 (each of which is herein incorporated by reference), is asingle chain polypeptide extending from the N-terminal hinge region tothe native C-terminus of the Fc region of a human IgG₁ antibody. Anotheruseful Fc polypeptide is the Fc mutein described in U.S. Pat. No.5,457,035 and in Baum et al., EMBO J. 13:3992-4001 (1994). The aminoacid sequence of this mutein is identical to that of the native Fcsequence presented in WO 93/10151, except that amino acid 19 has beenchanged from Leu to Glu, and amino acid 22 has been changed from Gly toAla. The mutein exhibits reduced affinity for Fc receptors.

In other embodiments, the variable portion of the heavy and/or lightchains of an anti-NTB-A antibody such as disclosed herein may besubstituted for the variable portion of an antibody heavy and/or lightchain.

Alternatively, the oligomer is a fusion protein comprising multipleanti-NTB-A antibody polypeptides, with or without peptide linkers(spacer peptides). Among the suitable peptide linkers are thosedescribed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,751,180 and 4,935,233.

Another method for preparing oligomeric anti-NTB-A antibody derivativesinvolves use of a leucine zipper. Leucine zipper domains are peptidesthat promote oligomerization of the proteins in which they are found.Leucine zippers were originally identified in several DNA-bindingproteins (Landschulz et al., Science 240:1759 (1988)), and have sincebeen found in a variety of different proteins. Among the known leucinezippers are naturally occurring peptides and derivatives thereof thatdimerize or trimerize. Examples of leucine zipper domains suitable forproducing soluble oligomeric proteins are described in InternationalPatent Application Publication No. WO 94/10308, and the leucine zipperderived from lung surfactant protein D (SPD) described in Hoppe et al.,FEBS Lett. 344:191 (1994), hereby incorporated by reference. The use ofa modified leucine zipper that allows for stable trimerization of aheterologous protein fused thereto is described in Fanslow et al.,Semin. Immunol. 6:267-78 (1994). In one approach, recombinant fusionproteins comprising an anti-NTB-A antibody fragment or derivative fusedto a leucine zipper peptide are expressed in suitable host cells, andthe soluble anti-NTB-A antibody fragments or derivatives that form arerecovered from the culture supernatant.

Some antibodies that are provided have a binding affinity (k_(a)) forNTB-A of at least 10⁴ or 10⁵ M⁻¹sec⁻¹ measured, for instance, asdescribed in the examples below. Other antibodies have a ka of at least10⁶, 10⁷, 10⁸ or 10⁹ M⁻¹sec⁻¹. Certain antibodies that are provided havea low disassociation rate. Some antibodies, for instance, have a k_(off)of 1×10⁻⁴s⁻¹, 1×10⁻⁵ s⁻¹ or lower. In another embodiment, the k_(off) isthe same as an antibody having the following combinations of variableregion domains V_(L)1V_(H)1, V_(L)1V_(H)2, V_(L)2V_(H)1, orV_(L)2V_(H)2.

In another aspect, the present invention provides an anti-NTB-A antibodyor antigen-binding fragment having a half-life of at least one day invitro or in vivo (e.g., when administered to a human subject). In oneembodiment, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment has a half-life ofat least three days. In another embodiment, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment has a half-life of four days or longer. Inanother embodiment, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment has a halflife of eight days or longer. In another embodiment, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment is derivatized or modified such that it has alonger half-life as compared to the underivatized or unmodifiedantibody. In another embodiment, the antibody contains point mutationsto increase serum half life, such as described in International PatentApplication Publication No. WO 00/09560, which is herein incorporated byreference.

J. Immunoconjugates

The invention also pertains to immunoconjugates, or antibody-drugconjugates (ADC), comprising an antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof conjugated to a cytotoxic agent such as a chemotherapeuticagent, a drug, a growth inhibitory agent, a toxin (e.g., anenzymatically active toxin of bacterial, fungal, plant, or animalorigin, or fragments thereof), or a radioactive isotope (i.e., aradioconjugate). In one embodiment of the invention, an anti-NTB-Aantibody may be conjugated to various therapeutic substances in order totarget the NTB-A cell surface antigen. Examples of conjugated agentsinclude, but are not limited to, metal chelate complexes, drugs, toxinsand other effector molecules, such as cytokines, lymphokines,chemokines, immunomodulators, radiosensitizers, asparaginase, carboranesand radioactive halogens. Additionally, enzymes useful for activating aprodrug or increasing the target-specific toxicity of a drug can beconjugated to the antibodies. Such substances are described in furtherdetail below.

The use of antibody-drug conjugates for the local delivery of cytotoxicor cytostatic agents, i.e. drugs to kill or inhibit tumor cells in thetreatment of cancer (Syrigos and Epenetos, Anticancer Res. 19:605-614(1999); Niculescu-Duvaz and Springer, Adv. Drg. Del. Rev. 26:151-172(1997); U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,278) theoretically allows targeted deliveryof the drug moiety to tumors, and intracellular accumulation therein,where systematic administration of these unconjugated drug agents mayresult in unacceptable levels of toxicity to normal cells as well as thetumor cells sought to be eliminated (Baldwin et al., Lancet 1:603-5(1986); Thorpe, (1985) “Antibody Carriers of Cytotoxic Agents in CancerTherapy: A Review,” In: Monoclonal Antibodies '84: Biological andClinical Applications, A. Pincera et al., (eds.) pp. 475-506). Maximalefficacy with minimal toxicity is sought thereby. Both polyclonalantibodies and monoclonal antibodies have been reported as useful inthese strategies (Rowland et al., Cancer Immunol. Immunother. 21:183-87(1986)). Drugs used in these methods include danuomycin, doxorubicin,methotrexate and vindesine (Rowland et al., (1986) supra). Toxins usedin antibody-toxin conjugates include bacterial toxins such as diphtheriatoxin, plant toxins such as ricin, small molecule toxins such asgeldamanycin (Mandler et al., J. Nat. Cancer Inst. 92:1573-1581 (2000);Mandler et al., Bioorganic Med. Chem. Lett. 10:1025-1028 (2000); Mandleret al., Bioconjugate Chem. 13:786-791 (2002)), maytansinoids (EuropeanPatent No. EP 1391213; Liu et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA93:8618-8623 (1996)), and calicheamicin (Lode et al., Cancer Res.58:2928 (1998); Rinman et al., Cancer Res. 53:3336-3342 (1993)). Thetoxins may effect their cytotoxin and cytostatic effects by mechanismsincluding tubulin binding, DNA binding, or topoisomerase inhibition.Some cytotoxic drugs tend to be inactive or less active when conjugatedto large antibodies or protein receptor ligands.

The antibodies of the present invention can be used in combination withvarious chemotherapeutic agents, toxins and regimens. The agents and/ortoxins can either be administered before, after or concurrently with theantibodies of the invention. Alternatively, if appropriate, the agentsand toxins can be conjugated to the antibodies of the invention totarget the agent directly to tumor cells.

A “chemotherapeutic agent” is a chemical compound or combination ofcompounds useful in the treatment of cancer. Examples ofchemotherapeutic agents include alkylating agents such as thiotepa andcyclosphosphamide (CYTOXAN®, Mead Johnson and Co., Evansville, Ind.);alkyl sulfonates such as busulfan, improsulfan and piposulfan;aziridines such as benzodopa, carboquone, meturedopa, and uredopa;ethylenimines and methylamelamines including altretamine,triethylenemelamine, trietylenephosphoramide,triethylenethiophosphaoramide and trimethylolomelamine; nitrogenmustards such as chlorambucil, chlomaphazine, cholophosphamide,estramustine, ifosfamide, mechlorethamine, mechlorethamine oxidehydrochloride, melphalan, novembiehin, phenesterine, prednimustine,trofosfamide, uracil mustard; nitrosureas such as carmustine,chlorozotocin, fotemustine, lomustine, nimustine, ranimustine;antibiotics such as aclacinomysins, actinomycin, authramycin, azaserine,bleomycins, cactinomycin, calicheamicin, carabicin, caminomycin,carzinophilin, chromoinycins, dactinomycin, daunorubicin, detorubicin,6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine, doxorubicin, epirubicin, esorubicin,idambicin, marcellomycin, mitomycins, mycophenolic acid, nogalamycin,olivomycins, peplomycin, potfiromycin, puromycin, quelamycin,rodorubicin, streptonigrin, streptozocin, tubercidin, ubenimex,zinostatin, zorubicin; anti-metabolites such as methotrexate and5-fluorouracil (5-FU); folic acid analogs such as denopterin,pteropterin, trimetrexate; purine analogs such as fludarabine,6-mercaptopurine, thiamiprine, thioguanine; pyrimidine analogs such asancitabine, azacitidine, 6-azauridine, carmofur, cytarabine,dideoxyuridine, doxifluridine, enocitabine, floxuridine, 5-FU; androgenssuch as calusterone, dromostanolone propionate, epitiostanol,mepitiostane, testolactone; anti-adrenals such as aminoglutethimide,mitotane, trilostane; folic acid replenisher such as frolinic acid;aceglatone; aldophosphamide glycoside; aminolevulinic acid; amsacrine;bestrabucil; bisantrene; edatraxate; defofamine; demecolcine;diaziquone; elfomithine; elliptinium acetate; etoglucid; galliumnitrate; hydroxyurea; lentinan; lonidamine; mitoguazone; mitoxantrone;mopidamol; nitracrine; pentostatin; phenamet; pirarubicin; podophyllinicacid; 2-ethylhydrazide; procarbazine; PSKTM; razoxane; sizofuran;spirogermanium; tenuazonic acid; triaziquone;2,2′,2″-trichlorotriethylamine; urethan; vindesine; dacarbazine;mannomustine; mitobronitol; mitolactol; pipobroman; gacytosine;arabinoside (“Ara-C”); cyclophosphamide; thiotepa; taxoids, e.g.paclitaxel (TAXOL®, Bristol-Myers Squibb Oncology, Princeton, N.J.) anddoxetaxel (TAXOTERE®, Rhône-Poulenc Rorer, Antony, France); gemcitabine;6-thioguanine; mercaptopurine; methotrexate; platinum analogs such ascisplatin and carboplatin; vinblastine; platinum; etoposide (VP-16);ifosfamide; mitomycin C; mitoxantrone; vincristine; vinorelbine;navelbine; novantrone; teniposide; daunomycin; aminopterin; xeloda;ibandronate; CPT-11; topoisomerase inhibitor RFS 2000;difluoromethylomithine (DMFO); retinoic acid; esperamicins;capecitabine; and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, acids orderivatives of any of the above.

Other useful chemotherapeutic agents include anti-hormonal agents thatact to regulate or inhibit hormone action on tumors such asanti-estrogens including for example tamoxifen, raloxifene, aromataseinhibiting 4(5)-imidazoles, 4-hydroxytamoxifen, trioxifene, keoxifene,LY117018, onapristone, and toremifene (FARESTON®, GTx, Inc., Memphis,Tenn.); and anti-androgens such as flutamide, nilutamide, bicalutamide,leuprolide, and goserelin; and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, acidsor derivatives of any of the above.

Also useful are the chemotherapeutic regimens known as CHOP (acombination of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine andprednisone) as well as the use of the constituents of CHOP either aloneor in various combinations such as CO, CH, CP, COP, CHO, CHP, HO, HP,HOP, OP, etc.; CHOP and bleomycin (CHOP-BLEO); cyclophosphamide andfludarabine; cyclophosphamide, mitoxantrone, prednisone and vincristine;cyclophosphamide, dexamethasone, doxorubicin and vincristine (CAVD);CAV; cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and prednisone; cyclophosphamide,mitoxantrone, prednisone and vincristine (CNOP); cyclophosphamide,methotrexate, leucovorin and cytarabine (COMLA); cyclophosphamide,dexamethasone, doxorubicin and prednisone; cylophosphamide, prednisone,procarbazine and vincristine (COPP); cylophosphamide, prednisone andvincristine (COP and CVP-1); cyclophosphamide and mitoxantrone;etoposide; mitoxantrone, ifosfamide and etoposide (MIV); cytarabine;methylprednisolone and cisplatin (ESHAP); methylprednisolone, cytarabineand cisplatin (ESAP); methotrexate, leucovorin, doxorubicin,cyclophosphamide, vincristine, bleomycin and prednisone (MACOP-B);methotrexate, bleomycin, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, anddexamethasone (m-BACOD); prednisone, cyclophosphamide, etoposide,cytarabine, bleomycin, vincristine, methotrexate and leucovorin(PROMACE-CYTABOM); etoposide, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisoneand bleomycin (VACOP-B); fludarabine and mitoxantrone; cisplatine,cytarabine and etoposide; desamethasone, fludarabine and mitoxantrone;chlorambucil and prednisone; busulfan and fludarabine; ICE; DVP; ATRA;Idarubicin, hoelzer chemotherapy regime; La La chemotherapy regime;ABVD; CEOP; 2-CdA; FLAG and IDA (with or without subsequent G-CSFtreatment); VAD; M and P; C-Weekly; ABCM; MOPP; cisplatin, cytarabineand dexamethasone (DHAP), as well as the additional knownchemotherapeutic regimens.

Enzymatically active toxins and fragments thereof that can be usedinclude diphtheria toxin, exotoxin A chain (from Pseudomonasaeruginosa), ricin A chain, abrin A chain, modeccin A chain,alpha-sarcin, Aleurites fordii proteins, dianthin proteins, Phytolacamericana proteins (PAPI, PAPII, and PAP-S), Momordica charantiainhibitor, curcin, crotin, sapaonaria officinalis inhibitor, gelonin,mitegellin, restrictocin, phenomycin, neomycin, and the tricothecenes.See, for example, International Patent Application Publication No. WO93/21232.

A variety of radionuclides are available for the production ofradioconjugated antibodies. Goodwin and Meares, Cancer Supplement80:2675-2680 (1997) have described the use of yttrium-90-labeledmonoclonal antibodies in various strategies to maximize the dose totumor while limiting normal tissue toxicity. Other known cytotoxicradionuclides include, but are not limited to phosphorus-32, copper-67,arsenic-77, rhodium-105, palladium-109, silver-111, tin-121, iodine-125or 131, holmium-166, lutetium-177, rhenium-186 or 188, iridium-194,gold-199, astatium-211, yttrium-90, samarium-153, or bismuth-212, all ofwhich can be used to label antibodies directed against the NTB-A cellsurface antigen for the treatment of cancer. When the conjugate is usedfor detection, it may comprise a radioactive atom for scintigraphicstudies, for example technetium-99m or iodine-123, or a spin label fornuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging (also known as magneticresonance imaging (MRI)), such as iodine-123, iodine-131, iodine-111,fluorine-19, carbon-13, nitrogen-15, oxygen-17, gadolinium, manganese oriron.

The anti-NTB-A antibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof can beconjugated to radionuclides using an indirect labeling or indirectlabeling approach. By “indirect labeling” or “indirect labelingapproach” is intended that a chelating agent is covalently attached toan antibody and at least one radionuclide is inserted into the chelatingagent. See, for example, the chelating agents and radionuclidesdescribed in Srivastava and Mease, Int. J. Rad. Appl. Instrum. B.18:589-603 (1991). Alternatively, the anti-NTB-A antibody may be labeledusing “direct labeling” or a “direct labeling approach”, where a label,such as a radionuclide is covalently attached directly to an antibody(typically via an amino acid residue). For example, the peptide may bebiosynthesized or may be synthesized by chemical amino acid synthesisusing amino acid precursors involving, for example, fluorine-19 in placeof hydrogen. Labels such as technetium-99m, iodine-123, rhenium-186,rhenium-188, and indium-111 can be attached via a cysteine residue inthe peptide. Yttrium-90 can be attached via a lysine residue. Theiodogen method (Franker et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 80:49-57(1978)) can be used to incorporate iodine-123. “Monoclonal Antibodies inImmunoscintigraphy” (Chantal, CRC Press, 1989, which is hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety) describes other methods indetail.

Conjugates of an anti-NTB-A antibody and a cytotoxic agent are madeusing a variety of bifunctional protein-coupling agents such asN-succinimidyl-3-(2-pyridyldithiol) propionate (SPDP), iminothiolane(IT), bifunctional derivatives of imidoesters (such as dimethyladipimidate HCL), active esters (such as disuccinimidyl suberate),aldehydes (such as glutaraldehyde), bis-azido compounds (such asbis(p-azidobenzoyl)hexanediamine), bis-diazonium derivatives (such asbos(p-diazoniumbenzoyl)-ethylenediamine), diisocyanates (such as toluene2,6-diisocyanate), and bis-active fluorine compounds (such as1,5-difluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene). For example, a ricin immunotoxin canbe prepared as described in Vitetta et al., Science 238:1098 (1987).¹⁴C-labeled 1-isothiocyanatobenzyl-3-methyldiethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (MX-DTPA) is an exemplary chelating agent forconjugation of radionucleotide to the antibody. See, InternationalPatent Application Publication No. WO 94/11026.

Further, the invention provides an embodiment wherein the antibody ofthe invention is linked to an enzyme that converts a prodrug into acytotoxic drug. The enzymes cleave the non-toxic “prodrug” into thetoxic “drug”, which leads to tumor cell death. Suitable prodrug enzymesinclude thymidine kinase (TK), xanthine-guaninephosphoribosyltransferase (GPT) gene from E. coli or E. coli cytosinedeaminase (CD), or hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT).Additional representative examples of enzymes and associated prodrugmolecules include alkaline phosphatase and various toxic phosphorylatedcompounds such as phenolmustard phosphate, doxorubicin phosphate,mitomycin phosphate and etoposide phosphate; β-galactosidase andN-[4-(β-D-galactopyranosyl) benzyloxycarbonyl]-daunorubicin;azoreductase and azobenzene mustards; β-glucosidase and amygdalin;β-glucuronidase and phenolmustard-glucuronide andepirubicin-glucuronide; carboxypeptidase A and methotrexate-alanine;cytochrome P450 and cyclophosphamide or ifosfamide; DT diaphorase and5-(aziridine-1-yl)-2,4,dinitrobenzamide (CB1954) (Cobb et al., Biochem.Pharmacol 18:1519 (1969), Knox et al., Cancer Metastasis Rev. 12:195(1993)); β-glutamyl transferase and β-glutamyl p-phenylenediaminemustard; nitroreductase and CB1954 or derivatives of4-nitrobenzyloxycarbonyl; glucose oxidase and glucose; xanthine oxidaseand hypoxanthine; and plasmin and peptidyl-p-phenylenediamine-mustard.

Conjugates of an antibody and one or more small molecule toxins, such ascalcheamicin, maytansinoids, a trichothecene, and CC1065, and thederivatives of these toxins that have toxin activity, are alsocontemplated herein.

The present invention further contemplates an immunoconjugate formedbetween an antibody and a compound with nucleolytic activity (e.g., aribonuclease or a DNA endonuclease such as deoxyribonuclease; DNase).

Additionally, the anti-NTB-A antibodies can be attached to variouslabels in order to screen biological samples such as blood, tissuesand/or tumors for the presence or absence of the proteins, as anindication of cancer, as described further below.

K. Preparation of Antibody Drug Conjugates

In the antibody drug conjugates (ADC) of the invention, an antibody (Ab)is conjugated to one or more drug moieties (D), e.g., about 1 to about20 drug moieties per antibody, through a linker (L). The ADC of FormulaI (see below) may be prepared by several routes, employing organicchemistry reactions, conditions, and reagents known to those skilled inthe art, including: (1) reaction of a nucleophilic group of an antibodywith a bivalent linker reagent, to form Ab-L, via a covalent bond,followed by reaction with a drug moiety D; and (2) reaction of anucleophilic group of a drug moiety with a bivalent linker reagent, toform D-L, via a covalent bond, followed by reaction with thenucleophilic group of an antibody.

Ab-(L-D)_(P)  (I)

Nucleophilic groups on antibodies include, but are not limited to: (i)N-terminal amine groups, (ii) side chain amine groups, e.g., lysine,(iii) side chain thiol groups, e.g., cysteine, and (iv) sugar hydroxylor amino groups where the antibody is glycosylated. Amine, thiol, andhydroxyl groups are nucleophilic and capable of reacting to formcovalent bonds with electrophilic groups on linker moieties and linkerreagents including: (i) active esters such as NHS esters, HOBt esters,haloformates, and acid halides; (ii) alkyl and benzyl halides such ashaloacetamides; (iii) aldehydes, ketones, carboxyl, and maleimidegroups. Certain antibodies have reducible interchain disulfides, i.e.,cysteine bridges. Antibodies may be made reactive for conjugation withlinker reagents by treatment with a reducing agent such as DTT(dithiolthreitol). Each cysteine bridge will thus form, theoretically,two reactive thiol nucleophiles. Additional nucleophilic groups can beintroduced into antibodies through the reaction of lysines with2-iminothiolane (Traut's reagent) resulting in conversion of an amineinto a thiol.

Antibody drug conjugates of the invention may also be produced bymodification of the antibody to introduce electrophilic moieties, whichcan react with nucleophilic substituents on the linker reagent or drug.The sugars of glycosylated antibodies may be oxidized, e.g., withperiodate oxidizing reagents, to form aldehyde or ketone groups whichmay react with the amine group of linker reagents or drug moieties. Theresulting imine Schiff base groups may form a stable linkage, or may bereduced, e.g. by borohydride reagents to form stable amine linkages. Inone embodiment, reaction of the carbohydrate portion of a glycosylatedantibody with either galactose oxidase or sodium metaperiodate may yieldcarbonyl (aldehyde and ketone) groups in the protein that can react withappropriate groups on the drug (Hermanson, Bioconjugate Techniques). Inanother embodiment, proteins containing N-terminal serine or threonineresidues can react with sodium meta-periodate, resulting in productionof an aldehyde in place of the first amino acid (Geoghegan and Stroh,Bioconjugate Chem. 3:138-146 (1992); U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,852). Suchaldehyde can be reacted with a drug moiety or linker nucleophile.

Likewise, nucleophilic groups on a drug moiety include, but are notlimited to: amine, thiol, hydroxyl, hydrazide, oxime, hydrazine,thiosemicarbazone, hydrazine, carboxylate, and arylhydrazide groupscapable of reacting to form covalent bonds with electrophilic groups onlinker moieties and linker reagents including: (i) active esters such asNHS esters, HOBt esters, haloformates, and acid halides; (ii) alkyl andbenzyl halides such as haloacetamides; (iii) aldehydes, ketones,carboxyl, and maleimide groups.

Alternatively, a fusion protein comprising the antibody and cytotoxicagent may be made, e.g., by recombinant techniques or peptide synthesis.The length of DNA may comprise respective regions encoding the twoportions of the conjugate either adjacent one another or separated by aregion encoding a linker peptide which does not destroy the desiredproperties of the conjugate.

In yet another embodiment, the antibody may be conjugated to a“receptor” (such as streptavidin) for utilization in tumor or cancercell pre-targeting” wherein the antibody-receptor conjugate isadministered to the patient, followed by removal of unbound conjugatefrom the circulation using a clearing agent and then administration of a“ligand” (e.g., avidin) which is conjugated to a cytotoxic agent (e.g.,a radionucleotide).

IV. NTB-A NUCLEIC ACIDS

A. Nucleic Acids

Polynucleotide sequences encoding the antibodies and immunoreactivefragments thereof, described above, are readily obtained using standardtechniques, well known in the art, such as those techniques describedabove with respect to the recombinant production of the NTB-A cellsurface antigens.

Nucleic acids that encode one or both chains of an antibody of theinvention, or a fragment, derivative, mutein, or variant thereof,polynucleotides sufficient for use as hybridization probes, PCR primersor sequencing primers for identifying, analyzing, mutating or amplifyinga polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide, anti-sense nucleic acids forinhibiting expression of a polynucleotide, and complementary sequencesof the foregoing are also provided. The nucleic acids can be any length.They can be, for example, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 75,100, 125, 175, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 750, 1000, 1500, 3000,5000 or more nucleotides in length, and/or can comprise one or moreadditional sequences, for example, regulatory sequences, and/or be apart of a larger nucleic acid, for example, a vector. The nucleic acidscan be single-stranded or double-stranded and can comprise RNA and/orDNA nucleotides, and artificial variants thereof (e.g., peptide nucleicacids).

Nucleic acids that encode the epitope to which certain of the antibodiesprovided herein are also provided. Thus, nucleic acids that encode SEQID NO: 17 are included as are those that encode SEQ ID NO: 12,13, and14. Nucleic acids encoding fusion proteins that include these peptidesare also provided.

DNA encoding antibody polypeptides (e.g., heavy or light chain, variabledomain only, or full-length) may be isolated from B cells of mice thathave been immunized with NTB-A or an immunogenic fragment thereof. TheDNA may be isolated by conventional procedures such as polymerase chainreaction (PCR). Phage display is another example of a known techniquewhereby derivatives of antibodies may be prepared. In one approach,polypeptides that are components of an antibody of interest areexpressed in any suitable recombinant expression system, and theexpressed polypeptides are allowed to assemble to form antibodymolecules.

Exemplary nucleic acids that encode the light and heavy chains, variableregions and CDRs of the antibodies and antigen-binding fragments areprovided in Tables 1 and 2 above. Due to the degeneracy of the geneticcode, each of the polypeptide sequences listed in Tables 1 and 2 is alsoencoded by a large number of other nucleic acid sequences besides thoselisted in Tables 1 and 2. The present invention provides each degeneratenucleotide sequence encoding each antibody of the invention.

Nucleic acid molecules encoding anti-NTB-A antibodies of the inventionare provided. In one embodiment, the nucleic acid molecule encodes aheavy and/or light chain of an anti-NTB-A immunoglobulin. In a preferredembodiment, a single nucleic acid molecule encodes a heavy chain of ananti-NTB-A immunoglobulin and another nucleic acid molecule encodes thelight chain of an anti-NTB-A immunoglobulin. In a more preferredembodiment, the encoded immunoglobulin is a human immunoglobulin,preferably a human IgG. The encoded light chain may be a λ chain or a κchain.

The invention provides a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleic acidsequence that encodes the amino acid sequence of the variable region ofthe light chain (V_(L)) of 480.12 or 994.1. The invention also providesa nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleic acid sequence that encodesthe amino acid sequence of one or more of the CDRs of any one of thelight chains of 480.12 or 994.1. In a preferred embodiment, the nucleicacid molecule comprises a nucleic acid sequence that encodes the aminoacid sequence of all of the CDRs of any one of the light chains of480.12 or 994.1. In another embodiment, the nucleic acid moleculecomprises a nucleic acid sequence that encodes the amino acid sequenceof one of SEQ ID NO: 7 or 11 or comprises a nucleic acid sequence of oneof SEQ ID NO: 6 or 10. In another preferred embodiment, the nucleic acidmolecule comprises a nucleic acid sequence that encodes the amino acidsequence of one or more of the CDRs of any one of SEQ ID NO: 7 (i.e.,SEQ ID NO: 27, 28, or 29) or SEQ ID NO: 11 (i.e., SEQ ID NO: 33, 34, or35) or comprises a nucleic acid sequence of one or more of the CDRs ofany one of SEQ ID NO: 6 (i.e., SEQ ID NO: 39, 40, or 41) or SEQ ID NO:10 (i.e., SEQ ID NO: 45, 46, or 47). In a more preferred embodiment, thenucleic acid molecule comprises a nucleic acid sequence that encodes theamino acid sequence of all of the CDRs of any one of SEQ ID NO: 7 (i.e.,SEQ ID NO: 27, 28, or 29) or SEQ ID NO: 11 (i.e., SEQ ID NO: 33, 34, or35) or comprises a nucleic acid sequence of all the CDRs of any one ofSEQ ID NO: 6 (i.e., SEQ ID NO: 39, 40, or 41) or SEQ ID NO: 10 (i.e.,SEQ ID NO: 45, 46, or 47).

The invention also provides nucleic acid molecules that encode an aminoacid sequence of a V_(L) that has an amino acid sequence that is atleast 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, atleast 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, or at least 99%identical to a V_(L) described above, particularly to a V_(L) thatcomprises an amino acid sequence of one of SEQ ID NO: 7 or 11. Theinvention also provides a nucleic acid sequence that is at least 70%, atleast 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, atleast 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, or at least 99% identical to anucleic acid sequence of one of SEQ ID NO: 6 or 10. In anotherembodiment, the invention provides a nucleic acid molecule encoding aV_(L) that hybridizes under stringent conditions to a nucleic acidmolecule encoding a V_(L) as described above, particularly a nucleicacid molecule that comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding an aminoacid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7 or 11. The invention also provides anucleic acid sequence encoding a V_(L) that hybridizes under stringentconditions to a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleic acid sequenceof one of SEQ ID NO: 6 or 10.

The invention also provides a nucleic acid molecule encoding thevariable region of the heavy chain (V_(H)) of 480.12 or 994.1. In oneembodiment, the nucleic acid molecule comprises a nucleic acid sequencethat encodes the amino acid sequence of the V_(H) of 480.12 or 994.1. Inanother embodiment, the nucleic acid molecule comprises a nucleic acidsequence that encodes the amino acid sequence of one or more of the CDRsof the heavy chain of 480.12 or 994.1. In a preferred embodiment, thenucleic acid molecule comprises a nucleic acid sequence that encodes theamino acid sequences of all of the CDRs of the heavy chain of 480.1 or994.1. In another preferred embodiment, the nucleic acid moleculecomprises a nucleic acid sequence that encodes the amino acid sequenceof one of SEQ ID NO: 5 or 9 or that comprises a nucleic acid sequence ofone of SEQ ID NO: 4 or 8. In another preferred embodiment, the nucleicacid molecule comprises a nucleic acid sequence that encodes the aminoacid sequence of one or more of the CDRs of any one of SEQ ID NO: 5(i.e., SEQ ID NO: 24, 25, or 26) or SEQ ID NO: 9 (i.e., SEQ ID NO: 30,31, or 32) or comprises a nucleic acid sequence of one or more of theCDRs of any one of SEQ ID NO: 4 (i.e., SEQ ID NO: 36, 37, or 38) or SEQID NO: 8 (i.e., SEQ ID NO: 42, 43, or 44). In a preferred embodiment,the nucleic acid molecule comprises a nucleic acid sequence that encodesthe amino acid sequences of all of the CDRs of any one of SEQ ID NO: 5(i.e., SEQ ID NO: 24, 25, or 26) or SEQ ID NO: 9 (i.e., SEQ ID NO: 30,31, or 32) or comprises a nucleic acid sequence of all of the CDRs forany one of SEQ ID NO: 4 (i.e., SEQ ID NO: 36, 37, or 38) or SEQ ID NO: 8(i.e., SEQ ID NO: 42, 43, or 44).

In another embodiment, the nucleic acid molecule encodes an amino acidsequence of a V_(H) that is at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, atleast 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, atleast 98%, or at least 99% identical to one of the amino acid sequencesencoding a V_(H) as described immediately above, particularly to a V_(H)that comprises an amino acid sequence of one of SEQ ID NO: 5 or 9. Inanother embodiment, the nucleic acid molecule encoding a V_(H) is onethat hybridizes under stringent conditions to a nucleic acid sequenceencoding a V_(H) as described above, particularly to a V_(H) thatcomprises an amino acid sequence of one of SEQ ID NO: 5 or 9. Theinvention also provides a nucleic acid sequence encoding a V_(H) thathybridizes under stringent conditions to a nucleic acid moleculecomprising a nucleic acid sequence of one of SEQ ID NO: 4 or 8.

The nucleic acid molecule encoding either or both of the entire heavyand light chains of an anti-NTB-A antibody or the variable regionsthereof may be obtained from any source that produces an anti-NTB-Aantibody. Methods of isolating mRNA encoding an antibody are well-knownin the art. See e.g., Sambrook et al., supra. The mRNA may be used toproduce cDNA for use in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or cDNAcloning of antibody genes. In one embodiment of the invention, thenucleic acid molecules may be obtained from a hybridoma that expressesan anti-NTB-A antibody as described above, preferably a hybridoma thathas as one of its fusion partners a transgenic animal cell thatexpresses human immunoglobulin genes, such as a XENOMOUSE® (Amgen,Fremont, Calif., USA), non-human mouse transgenic animal, or anon-human, non-mouse transgenic animal. In another embodiment, thehybridoma is derived from a non-human, non-transgenic animal, which maybe used, e.g., for humanized antibodies.

A nucleic acid molecule encoding the entire heavy chain of an anti-NTB-Aantibody may be constructed by fusing a nucleic acid molecule encodingthe variable domain of a heavy chain or an antigen-binding domainthereof with a constant domain of a heavy chain. Similarly, a nucleicacid molecule encoding the light chain of an anti-NTB-A antibody may beconstructed by fusing a nucleic acid molecule encoding the variabledomain of a light chain or an antigen-binding fragment thereof with aconstant domain of a light chain. The nucleic acid molecules encodingthe V_(H) and V_(L) chain may be converted to full-length antibody genesby inserting them into expression vectors already encoding heavy chainconstant and light chain constant regions, respectively, such that theV_(H) segment is operatively linked to the heavy chain constant region(C_(H)) segment(s) within the vector and the V_(L) segment isoperatively linked to the light chain constant region (C_(L)) segmentwithin the vector. Alternatively, the nucleic acid molecules encodingthe V_(H) or V_(L) chains are converted into full-length antibody genesby linking, e.g., ligating, the nucleic acid molecule encoding a V_(H)chain to a nucleic acid molecule encoding a C_(H) chain using standardmolecule biological techniques. The same may be achieved using nucleicacid molecules encoding V_(L) and C_(L) chains. The sequences of humanheavy and light chain constant region genes are known in the art. See,e.g., Kabat et al., 1991, supra. Nucleic acid molecules encoding thefull-length heavy and/or light chains may then be expressed from a cellinto which they have been introduced and the anti-NTB-A antibodyisolated.

In another embodiment, a nucleic acid molecule encoding either the heavychain of an anti-NTB-A antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereofor the light chain of an anti-NTB-A antibody or an antigen-bindingfragment thereof may be isolated from a non-human, non-mouse animal thatexpresses human immunoglobulin genes and has been immunized with a NTB-Aantigen. In another embodiment, the nucleic acid molecule may beisolated from an anti-NTB-A antibody producing cell derived from anon-transgenic animal or from a human patient who produces anti-NTB-Aantibodies. Methods of isolating mRNA from the anti-NTB-Aantibody-producing cells may be isolated by standard techniques, clonedand/or amplified using PCR and library construction techniques, andscreened using standard protocols to obtain nucleic acid moleculesencoding anti-NTB-A heavy and light chains.

The nucleic acid molecules may be used to recombinantly express largequantities of anti-NTB-A antibodies, as described below. The nucleicacid molecules may also be used to produce chimeric antibodies, singlechain antibodies, immunoadhesins, diabodies, mutated antibodies andantibody derivatives. If the nucleic acid molecules are derived from anon-human, non-transgenic animal, the nucleic acid molecules may be usedfor antibody humanization.

The invention further provides nucleic acids that hybridize to othernucleic acids (e.g., nucleic acids comprising a nucleotide sequencelisted in Tables 1-2) under particular hybridization conditions. Methodsfor hybridizing nucleic acids are well-known in the art. See, e.g.,Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, John Wiley and Sons, N.Y.(1989), 6.3.1-6.3.6. As defined herein, a moderately stringenthybridization condition uses a prewashing solution containing 5× sodiumchloride/sodium citrate (SSC), 0.5% SDS, 1.0 mM EDTA (pH 8.0),hybridization buffer of about 50% formamide, 6×SSC, and a hybridizationtemperature of 55° C. (or other similar hybridization solutions, such asone containing about 50% formamide, with a hybridization temperature of42° C.), and washing conditions of 60° C. in 0.5×SSC, 0.1% SDS. Astringent hybridization condition hybridizes in 6×SSC at 45° C.,followed by one or more washes in 0.1×SSC, 0.2% SDS at 68° C.Furthermore, one of skill in the art can manipulate the hybridizationand/or washing conditions to increase or decrease the stringency ofhybridization such that nucleic acids comprising nucleotide sequencethat are at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, atleast 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, atleast 98% or at least 99% identical to each other typically remainhybridized to each other.

The basic parameters affecting the choice of hybridization conditionsand guidance for devising suitable conditions are set forth by, forexample, Sambrook, Fritsch, and Maniatis (Molecular Cloning: ALaboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold SpringHarbor, N.Y., chapters 9 and 11 (1989); Current Protocols in MolecularBiology, Ausubel et al., eds., John Wiley and Sons, Inc., sections 2.10and 6.3-6.4 (1995), both of which are herein incorporated by referencein their entirety for all purposes) and can be readily determined bythose having ordinary skill in the art based on, for example, the lengthand/or base composition of the DNA.

Changes can be introduced by mutation into a nucleic acid, therebyleading to changes in the amino acid sequence of a polypeptide (e.g., anantibody or antibody derivative of the invention) that it encodes.Mutations can be introduced using any technique known in the art. In oneembodiment, one or more particular amino acid residues are changedusing, for example, a site-directed mutagenesis protocol. In anotherembodiment, one or more randomly selected residues is changed using, forexample, a random mutagenesis protocol. However it is made, a mutantpolypeptide can be expressed and screened for a desired property.

Mutations can be introduced into a nucleic acid without significantlyaltering the biological activity of a polypeptide that it encodes. Forexample, one can make nucleotide substitutions leading to amino acidsubstitutions at non-essential amino acid residues. Alternatively, oneor more mutations can be introduced into a nucleic acid that selectivelychange the biological activity of a polypeptide that it encodes. Forexample, the mutation can quantitatively or qualitatively change thebiological activity. Examples of quantitative changes includeincreasing, reducing or eliminating the activity. Examples ofqualitative changes include changing the antigen specificity of anantibody.

In another aspect, the present invention provides nucleic acid moleculesthat are suitable for use as primers or hybridization probes for thedetection of nucleic acid sequences of the invention. A nucleic acidmolecule of the invention can comprise only a portion of a nucleic acidsequence encoding a full-length polypeptide of the invention, forexample, a fragment that can be used as a probe or primer or a fragmentencoding an active portion (e.g., an NTB-A binding portion) of apolypeptide of the invention.

In another embodiment, the nucleic acid molecules of the invention maybe used as probes or PCR primers for specific antibody sequences. Forinstance, a nucleic acid molecule probe may be used in diagnosticmethods or a nucleic acid molecule PCR primer may be used to amplifyregions of DNA that could be used, inter alia, to isolate nucleic acidsequences for use in producing variable domains of anti-NTB-Aantibodies. In a preferred embodiment, the nucleic acid molecules areoligonucleotides. In a more preferred embodiment, the oligonucleotidesare from highly variable regions of the heavy and light chains of theantibody of interest. In an even more preferred embodiment, theoligonucleotides encode all or part of one or more of the CDRs.

Probes based on the sequence of a nucleic acid of the invention can beused to detect the nucleic acid or similar nucleic acids, for example,transcripts encoding a polypeptide of the invention. The probe cancomprise a label group, e.g., a radioisotope, a fluorescent compound, anenzyme, or an enzyme co-factor. Such probes can be used to identify acell that expresses the polypeptide.

B. Vectors

The invention provides vectors comprising the nucleic acid molecules ofthe invention that encode the heavy chain or the antigen-binding portionthereof. The invention also provides vectors comprising the nucleic acidmolecules of the invention that encode the light chain orantigen-binding portion thereof. The invention also provides vectorscomprising nucleic acid molecules encoding fusion proteins, modifiedantibodies, antibody fragments, and probes thereof.

In another aspect, the present invention provides vectors comprising anucleic acid encoding a polypeptide of the invention or a portionthereof (e.g., a fragment containing one or more CDRs or one or morevariable region domains). Examples of vectors include, but are notlimited to, plasmids, viral vectors, non-episomal mammalian vectors andexpression vectors, for example, recombinant expression vectors. Therecombinant expression vectors of the invention can comprise a nucleicacid of the invention in a form suitable for expression of the nucleicacid in a host cell. The recombinant expression vectors include one ormore regulatory sequences, selected on the basis of the host cells to beused for expression, which is operably linked to the nucleic acidsequence to be expressed. Regulatory sequences include those that directconstitutive expression of a nucleotide sequence in many types of hostcells (e.g., Simian Virus 40 (SV40) early gene enhancer, Rous sarcomavirus (RSV) promoter and cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter), those thatdirect expression of the nucleotide sequence only in certain host cells(e.g., tissue-specific regulatory sequences, see Voss et al., TrendsBiochem. Sci. 11:287 (1986); Maniatis et al., Science 236:1237 (1986),incorporated by reference herein in their entireties), and those thatdirect inducible expression of a nucleotide sequence in response toparticular treatment or condition (e.g., the metallothionin promoter inmammalian cells and the tet-responsive and/or streptomycin responsivepromoter in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems. It will beappreciated by those skilled in the art that the design of theexpression vector can depend on such factors as the choice of the hostcell to be transformed, the level of expression of protein desired, etc.The expression vectors of the invention can be introduced into hostcells to thereby produce proteins or peptides, including fusion proteinor peptides, encoded by nucleic acids as described herein.

To express the antibodies, or antigen-binding fragments thereof, DNAsencoding partial or full-length light and heavy chains, obtained asdescribed above, are inserted into expression vectors such that thegenes area operatively linked to transcriptional and translationalcontrol sequences. Expression vectors include plasmids, retroviruses,cosmids, YACs, EBV-derived episomes, and the like. The antibody gene isligated into a vector such that transcriptional and translationalcontrol sequences within the vector serve their intended function ofregulating the transcription and translation of the antibody gene. Theexpression vector and expression control sequences are chosen to becompatible with the expression host cell used. The antibody light chaingene and the antibody heavy chain gene can be inserted into separatevectors. In a preferred embodiment, both genes are inserted into thesame expression vector. The antibody genes are inserted into theexpression vector by standard methods (e.g., ligation of complementaryrestriction sites on the antibody gene fragment and vector, or blunt endligation if no restriction sites are present).

A convenient vector is one that encodes a functionally complete human CHor C_(L) immunoglobulin sequence, with appropriate restriction sitesengineered so that any V_(H) or V_(L) sequence can be easily insertedand expressed, as described above. In such vectors, splicing usuallyoccurs between the splice donor site in the inserted J region and thesplice acceptor site preceding the human C region, and also at thesplice regions that occur within the human CH exons. Polyadenylation andtranscription termination occur at native chromosomal sites downstreamof the coding regions. The recombinant expression vector can also encodea signal peptide that facilitates secretion of the antibody chain from ahost cell. The antibody chain gene may be cloned into the vector suchthat the signal peptide is linked in-frame to the amino terminus of theantibody chain gene. The signal peptide can be an immunoglobulin signalpeptide or a heterologous signal peptide (e.g., a signal peptide from anon-immunoglobulin protein).

In addition to the antibody chain genes, the recombinant expressionvectors of the invention carry regulatory sequences that control theexpression of the antibody chain genes in a host cell. It will beappreciated by those skilled in the art that the design of theexpression vector, including the selection of regulatory sequences maydepend on such factors as the choice of the host cell to be transformed,the level of expression of protein desired, etc. Preferred regulatorysequences for mammalian host cell expression include viral elements thatdirect high levels of protein expression in mammalian cells, such aspromoters and/or enhancers derived from retroviral LTRs, CMV (such asthe CMV promoter/enhancer), SV40 (such as the SV40 promoter/enhancer),adenovirus (e.g., the adenovirus major late promoter (AdMLP)), polyomaand strong mammalian promoters such as native immunoglobulin and actinpromoters. For further description of viral regulatory elements, andsequences thereof, see e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,168,062 4,510,245, and4,968,615.

In addition to the antibody chain genes and regulatory sequences, therecombinant expression vectors of the invention may carry additionalsequences, such as sequences that regulate replication of the vector inhost cells (e.g., origins of replication) and selectable marker genes.The selectable marker gene facilitates selection of host cells intowhich the vector has been introduced (see e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos.4,399,216, 4,634,665, and 5,179,017). For example, typically theselectable marker gene confers resistance to drugs, such as G418,hygromycin or methotrexate, on a host cell into which the vector hasbeen introduced. Preferred selectable marker genes include thedihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gene (for use in dhfr⁻ host cells withmethotrexate selection/amplification) and the neomycin gene (for G418selection).

C. Host Cells

In another aspect, the present invention provides host cells into whicha recombinant expression vector of the invention has been introduced. Ahost cell can be any prokaryotic cell (for example, E. coli) oreukaryotic cell (for example, yeast (for example, Pichia pastoris),insect, or mammalian cells (e.g., CHO cells)). Vector DNA can beintroduced into prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells via conventionaltransformation or transfection techniques. For stable transfection ofmammalian cells, it is known that, depending upon the expression vectorand transfection technique used, only a small fraction of cells mayintegrate the foreign DNA into their genome. In order to identify andselect these integrants, a gene that encodes a selectable marker (e.g.,for resistance to antibiotics) is generally introduced into the hostcells along with the gene of interest. Preferred selectable markersinclude those which confer resistance to drugs, such as G418, hygromycinand methotrexate. Cells stably transfected with the introduced nucleicacid can be identified by drug selection (e.g., cells that haveincorporated the selectable marker gene will survive, while the othercells die), among other methods.

V. PREPARATION OF ANTIBODIES

As explained above, the NTB-A cell surface antigen is used to produceantibodies for therapeutic, diagnostic and purification purposes. Theseantibodies may be polyclonal or monoclonal antibody preparations,monospecific antisera, human antibodies, or may be hybrid or chimericantibodies, such as humanized antibodies, altered antibodies, F(ab′)₂fragments, Fab fragments, Fv fragments, single-domain antibodies,dimeric or trimeric antibody fragment constructs, minibodies, orfunctional fragments thereof which bind to the antigen in question.Antibodies are produced using techniques well known to those of skill inthe art and disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,011,308;4,722,890; 4,016,043; 3,876,504; 3,770,380; and 4,372,745.

For example, the NTB-A antigens can be used to produce NTB-A-specificpolyclonal and monoclonal antibodies for use in diagnostic and detectionassays, for purification and for use as therapeutics. NTB-A-specificpolyclonal and monoclonal antibodies bind with high affinity to NTB-Aantigens. The non-human antibodies that are provided can be, forexample, derived from any antibody-producing animal, such as mouse, rat,rabbit, goat, donkey, or non-human primate (such as monkey (e.g.,cynomologous or rhesus monkey) or ape (e.g., chimpanzee)). Serum fromthe immunized animal is collected and the antibodies are purified fromthe plasma by, for example, precipitation with ammonium sulfate,followed by chromatography, preferably affinity chromatography.Techniques for producing and processing polyclonal antisera are known inthe art.

Non-human antibodies can be used, for instance, in in vitro cell cultureand cell-culture based applications, or any other application where animmune response to the antibody does not occur or is insignificant, canbe prevented, is not a concern, or is desired. In certain embodiments ofthe invention, the antibodies may be produced by immunizing withfull-length NTB-A (i.e., SEQ ID NO: 2) or with the extracellular domain(i.e. SEQ ID NO: 3). Alternatively, the certain non-human antibodies maybe raised by immunizing with amino acids 22 to 184 of SEQ ID NO: 2(i.e., SEQ ID NO: 12), amino acids 22 to 154 of SEQ ID NO: 2 (i.e., SEQID NO: 13), amino acids 11 to 124 of SEQ ID NO: 2 (i.e., SEQ ID NO: 14),or amino acids 95 to 124 of SEQ ID NO: 2 (i.e., SEQ ID NO: 17) which aresegments of human NTB-A that form part of the epitope to which certainantibodies provided herein bind (e.g., 480.12 or 994.1, see FIG. 2). Inyet further embodiments, anti-NTB-A antibodies may be raised byimmunizing non-human animals with amino acids 22 to 94 of SEQ ID NO: 2(i.e., SEQ ID NO: 15) or amino acids 22 to 64 of SEQ ID NO: 2 (i.e., SEQID NO: 16). The antibodies may be polyclonal, monoclonal, or may besynthesized in host cells by expressing recombinant DNA.

Fully human antibodies may be prepared as described above by immunizingtransgenic animals containing human immunoglobulin loci or by selectinga phage display library that is expressing a repertoire of humanantibodies.

Mouse and/or rabbit monoclonal antibodies directed against epitopespresent in the cell surface antigen can also be readily produced. Inorder to produce such monoclonal antibodies, the mammal of interest,such as a rabbit or mouse, is immunized, such as by mixing oremulsifying the antigen in saline, preferably in an adjuvant such asFreund's complete adjuvant (FCA), and injecting the mixture or emulsionparenterally (generally subcutaneously or intramuscularly). The animalis generally boosted 2-6 weeks later with one or more injections of theantigen in saline, preferably using Freund's incomplete adjuvant (FIA).

The monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) of the invention can be produced by avariety of techniques, including conventional monoclonal antibodymethodology, e.g., the standard somatic cell hybridization technique ofKohler and Milstein, Nature 256:495 (1975), herein incorporated byreference in its entirety for all purposes. Alternatively, othertechniques for producing monoclonal antibodies can be employed, forexample, the viral or oncogenic transformation of B-lymphocytes. Onesuitable animal system for preparing hybridomas is the murine system,which is a very well-established procedure. Immunization protocols andtechniques for isolation of immunized splenocytes for fusion are knownin the art. For such procedures, B cells from immunized mice are fusedwith a suitable immortalized fusion partner, such as a murine myelomacell line. If desired, rats or other mammals besides can be immunizedinstead of mice and B cells from such animals can be fused with themurine myeloma cell line to form hybridomas. Alternatively, a myelomacell line from a source other than mouse may be used. Fusion proceduresfor making hybridomas are also well-known.

Antibodies may also be generated by in vitro immunization, using methodsknown in the art. See, e.g., James et al., J. Immunol. Meth. 100:5-40(1987). Polyclonal antisera are then obtained from the immunized animal.However, rather than bleeding the animal to extract serum, the spleen(and optionally several large lymph nodes) is removed and dissociatedinto single cells. If desired, the spleen cells (splenocytes) may bescreened (after removal of nonspecifically adherent cells) by applying acell suspension to a plate or well coated with the antigen. B-cells,expressing membrane-bound immunoglobulin specific for the antigen, willbind to the plate, and are not rinsed away with the rest of thesuspension. Resulting B-cells, or all dissociated splenocytes, are theninduced to fuse with cells from an immortalized cell line (also termed a“fusion partner”), to form hybridomas. Typically, the fusion partnerincludes a property that allows selection of the resulting hybridomasusing specific media. For example, fusion partners can behypoxanthine/aminopterin/thymidine (HAT)-sensitive.

If rabbit-rabbit hybridomas are desired, the immortalized cell line willbe from a rabbit. Such rabbit-derived fusion partners are known in theart and include, for example, cells of lymphoid origin, such as cellsfrom a rabbit plasmacytoma as described in Spieker-Polet et al., Proc.Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92:9348-9352 (1995) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,063, orthe TP-3 fusion partner described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,595,incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. If a rabbit-mousehybridoma or a rat-mouse or mouse-mouse hybridoma, or the like, isdesired, the mouse fusion partner will be derived from an immortalizedcell line from a mouse, such as a cell of lymphoid origin, typicallyfrom a mouse myeloma cell line. A number of such cell lines are known inthe art and are available from ATCC (American Type Culture Collection,Manassas, Va., USA).

Fusion is accomplished using techniques well known in the art. Chemicalsthat promote fusion are commonly referred to as fusogens. These agentsare extremely hydrophilic and facilitate membrane contact. Oneparticularly preferred method of cell fusion uses polyethylene glycol(PEG). Another method of cell fusion is electrofusion. In this method,cells are exposed to a predetermined electrical discharge that altersthe cell membrane potential. Additional methods for cell fusion includebridged-fusion methods. In this method, the antigen is biotinylated andthe fusion partner is avidinylated. When the cells are added together,an antigen-reactive B cell-antigen-biotin-avidin-fusion partner bridgeis formed. This permits the specific fusion of an antigen-reactive cellwith an immortalizing cell. The method may additionally employ chemicalor electrical means to facilitate cell fusion.

Following fusion, the cells are cultured in a selective medium (e.g.,HAT medium). In order to enhance antibody secretion, an agent that hassecretory stimulating effects can optionally be used, such as IL-6. See,e.g., Liguori et al., Hybridoma 20:189-198 (2001). The resultinghybridomas can be plated by limiting dilution, and are assayed for theproduction of antibodies which bind specifically to the immunizingantigen (and which do not bind to unrelated antigens). The selectedmonoclonal antibody-secreting hybridomas are then cultured either invitro (e.g., in tissue culture bottles or hollow fiber reactors), or invivo (e.g., as ascites in mice). For example, hybridomas producingNTB-A-specific antibodies can be identified using RIA or ELISA andisolated by cloning in semi-solid agar or by limiting dilution. Clonesproducing the desired antibodies can be isolated by another round ofscreening.

An alternative technique for generating the monoclonal antibodies of thepresent invention is the selected lymphocyte antibody method (SLAM).This method involves identifying a single lymphocyte that is producingan antibody with the desired specificity or function within a largepopulation of lymphoid cells. The genetic information that encodes thespecificity of the antibody (i.e., the immunoglobulin V_(H) and V_(L)DNA) is then rescued and cloned. See, e.g., Babcook et al., Proc. Natl.Acad. Sci. USA 93:7843-7848 (1996), for a description of this method.

For further descriptions of rabbit monoclonal antibodies and methods ofmaking the same from rabbit-rabbit and rabbit-mouse fusions, see, e.g.,U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,675,063 (rabbit-rabbit); 4,859,595 (rabbit-rabbit);5,472,868 (rabbit-mouse); and 4,977,081 (rabbit-mouse).

The single-chain antibodies that are provided may be formed by linkingheavy and light chain variable domain (Fv region) fragments (see, e.g.,Table 1) via an amino acid bridge (short peptide linker), resulting in asingle polypeptide chain. Such single-chain Fvs (scFvs) may be preparedby fusing DNA encoding a peptide linker between DNAs encoding the twovariable domain polypeptides (V_(L) and V_(H)). The resultingpolypeptides can fold back on themselves to form antigen-bindingmonomers, or they can form multimers (e.g., dimers, trimers, ortetramers), depending on the length of a flexible linker between the twovariable domains (Kortt et al., Prot. Eng. 10:423 (1997); Kort et al.,Biomol. Eng. 18:95-108 (2001)). By combining different V_(L) andV_(H)-comprising polypeptides, one can form multimeric scFvs that bindto different epitopes (Kriangkum et al., Biomol. Eng. 18:31-40 (2001)).Techniques developed for the production of single-chain antibodiesinclude those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,778; Bird, Science242:423 (1988); Huston et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85:5879(1988); Ward et al., Nature 334:544 (1989); de Graff et al., MethodsMol. Biol. 178:379-87 (2002)). Single-chain antibodies derived fromantibodies provided herein include, but are not limited to scFvscomprising the variable domain combinations: V_(L)1V_(H)1, V_(L)1V_(H)2,V_(L)2V_(H)1, or V_(L)2V_(H)2.

Antibodies provided herein that are of one subclass can be changed toantibodies of a different subclass using subclass switching methods.Thus, IgG antibodies may be derived from an IgM antibody, for example,and vice versa. Such techniques allow the preparation of new antibodiesthat possess the antigen-binding properties of a given antibody (theparent antibody), but also exhibit biological properties associated withan antibody isotype or subclass different from that of the parentantibody. Recombinant DNA techniques may be employed. Cloned DNAencoding particular antibody polypeptides may be employed in suchprocedures, e.g., DNA encoding the constant domain of an antibody of thedesired isotype. See, e.g., Lantto et al., Methods Mol. Biol. 178:303-16(2002).

Accordingly, the antibodies that are provided include those comprising,for example, the following variable domain combinations: V_(L)1V_(H)1,V_(L)1V_(H)2, V_(L)2V_(H)1, V_(L)2V_(H)2 having a desired isotype (forexample, IgA, IgG₁, IgG₂, IgG₃, IgG₄, IgE, and IgD) as well as Fab orF(ab′)₂ fragments thereof. Moreover, if an IgG₄ is desired, it may alsobe desired to introduce a point mutation (eg. CPSCP→CPPCP) in the hingeregion as described in Bloom et al., Protein Sci. 6:407 (1997),incorporated by reference herein) to alleviate a tendency to formintra-H chain disulfide bonds that can lead to heterogeneity in the IgG₄antibodies.

Moreover, techniques for deriving antibodies having different properties(i.e., varying affinities for the antigen to which they bind) are alsoknown. One such technique, referred to as chain shuffling, involvesdisplaying immunoglobulin variable domain gene repertoires on thesurface of filamentous bacteriophage, often referred to as phagedisplay. Chain shuffling has been used to prepare high affinityantibodies to the hapten 2-phenyloxazol-5-one, as described by Marks etal., BioTechnology 10:770 (1992).

Conservative modifications may be made to the heavy and light chains(and corresponding modifications to the encoding nucleic acids) toproduce an anti-NTB-A antibody having functional and biochemicalcharacteristics. Methods for achieving such modifications are describedabove.

Antibodies and functional fragments thereof according to the inventionmay be further modified in various ways. For example, if they are to beused for therapeutic purposes, they may be conjugated with polyethyleneglycol (PEGylated) to prolong the serum half-life or to enhance proteindelivery. Alternatively, the V region of the subject antibodies orfragments thereof may be fused with the Fc region of a differentantibody molecule. The Fc region used for this purpose may be modifiedso that it does not bind complement, thus reducing the likelihood ofinducing cell lysis in the patient when the fusion protein is used as atherapeutic agent. In addition, the subject antibodies or functionalfragments thereof may be conjugated with human serum albumin to enhancethe serum half-life of the antibody of fragment thereof. Another usefulfusion is transthyretin (TTR). TTR has the capacity to form a tetramer,thus an antibody-TTR fusion protein can form a multivalent antibodywhich may increase its binding avidity.

Alternatively, substantial modifications in the functional and/orbiochemical characteristics of the antibodies and fragments describedherein may be achieved by creating substitutions in the amino acidsequence of the heavy and light chains that differ significantly intheir effect on maintaining (a) the structure of the molecular backbonein the area of the substitution, for example, as a sheet or helicalconformation, (b) the charge or hydrophobicity of the molecule at thetarget site, or (c) the bulkiness of the side chain. A “conservativeamino acid substitution” may involve a substitution of a native aminoacid residue with a normative residue that has little or no effect onthe polarity or charge of the amino acid residue at that position.Furthermore, any native residue in the polypeptide may also besubstituted with alanine, as has been previously described for alaninescanning mutagenesis.

Amino acid substitutions (whether conservative or non-conservative) ofthe subject antibodies can be implemented by those skilled in the art byapplying routine techniques. Amino acid substitutions can be used toidentify important residues of the antibodies provided herein, or toincrease or decrease the affinity of these antibodies for human NTB-A orfor modifying the binding affinity of other anti-NTB-A antibodiesdescribed herein.

VI. EXPRESSION OF ANTI-NTB-A ANTIBODIES

The anti-NTB-A antibodies and antigen-binding fragments can be preparedby any of a number of conventional techniques. For example, anti-NTB-Aantibodies may be produced by recombinant expression systems, using anytechnique known in the art. See, for example, Monoclonal Antibodies,Hybridomas: A New Dimension in Biological Analyses, Kennet et al. (eds.)Plenum Press, N.Y. (1980); Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Harlow andLane (eds.), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor,N.Y. (1988).

Antibodies of the present invention can be expressed in hybridoma celllines or in cell lines other than hybridomas. Expression constructsencoding the antibodies can be used to transform a mammalian, insect, ormicrobial host cell. Transformation can be performed using any knownmethod for introducing polynucleotides into a host cell, including, forexample packaging the polynucleotide in a virus or bacteriophage andtransducing a host cell with the construct by transfection proceduresknown in the art, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,399,216, 4,912,040,4,740,461, and 4,959,455 (which patents are hereby incorporated hereinby reference for any purpose). The optimal transformation procedure usedwill depend upon which type of host cell is being transformed. Methodsfor introduction of heterologous polynucleotides into mammalian cellsare well known in the art and include, but are not limited to,dextran-mediated transfection, calcium phosphate precipitation,polybrene mediated transfection, protoplast fusion, electroporation,encapsulation of the polynucleotide(s) in liposomes, mixing nucleic acidwith positively-charged lipids, and direct microinjection of the DNAinto nuclei.

Recombinant expression constructs of the invention typically comprise anucleic acid molecule encoding a polypeptide comprising one or more ofthe following: a heavy chain constant region (e.g., C_(H)1, C_(H)2and/or C_(H)3); a heavy chain variable region; a light chain constantregion; a light chain variable region; one or more CDRs of the light orheavy chain of the anti-NTB-A antibody. These nucleic acid sequences areinserted into an appropriate expression vector using standard ligationtechniques. In one embodiment, the 480.12 or 994.1 heavy or light chainconstant region is appended to the C-terminus of the NTB-A-specificheavy or light chain variable region and is ligated into an expressionvector. The vector is typically selected to be functional in theparticular host cell employed (i.e., the vector is compatible with thehost cell machinery, permitting amplification and/or expression of thegene can occur). In some embodiments, vectors are used that employprotein-fragment complementation assays using protein reporters, such asdihydrofolate reductase (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,964,which is hereby incorporated by reference). Suitable expression vectorscan be purchased, for example, from Invitrogen Life Technologies or BDBiosciences. Other useful vectors for cloning and expressing theantibodies and fragments of the invention include those described inBianchi and McGrew, Biotech. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 84:439-44 (2003),herein incorporated by reference. Additional suitable expression vectorsare discussed, for example, in Methods Enzymol, vol. 185 (D. V. Goeddel,ed.), 1990, New York: Academic Press, herein incorporated by reference.

Typically, expression vectors used in any of the host cells containsequences for plasmid or virus maintenance and for cloning andexpression of exogenous nucleotide sequences. Such sequences,collectively referred to as “flanking sequences” typically include oneor more of the following operatively linked nucleotide sequences: apromoter, one or more enhancer sequences, an origin of replication, atranscriptional termination sequence, a complete intron sequencecontaining a donor and acceptor splice site, a sequence encoding aleader sequence for polypeptide secretion, a ribosome binding site, apolyadenylation sequence, a polylinker region for inserting the nucleicacid encoding the polypeptide to be expressed, and a selectable markerelement.

Optionally, the vector may contain a “tag”-encoding sequence, that is,an oligonucleotide molecule located at the 5′ or 3′ end of the codingsequence, the oligonucleotide sequence encoding polyHis (such ashexaHis), or another “tag” for which commercially available antibodiesexist, such as V5-His, FLAG®, HA (hemaglutinin from influenza virus), ormyc. The tag is typically fused to the antibody protein upon expression,and can serve as a means for affinity purification of the antibody fromthe host cell. Affinity purification can be accomplished, for example,by column chromatography using antibodies against the tag as an affinitymatrix. Optionally, the tag can subsequently be removed from thepurified antibody polypeptide by various means such as using certainpeptidases for cleavage.

Flanking sequences in the expression vector may be homologous (i.e.,from the same species and/or strain as the host cell), heterologous(i.e., from a species other than the host cell species or strain),hybrid (i.e., a combination of flanking sequences from more than onesource), synthetic or native. As such, the source of a flanking sequencemay be any prokaryotic or eukaryotic organism, any vertebrate orinvertebrate organism, or any plant, provided that the flanking sequenceis functional in, and can be activated by, the host cell machinery.

Flanking sequences useful in the vectors of this invention may beobtained by any of several methods well known in the art. Typically,flanking sequences useful herein will have been previously identified bymapping and/or by restriction endonuclease digestion and can thus beisolated from the proper tissue source using the appropriate restrictionendonucleases. In some cases, the full nucleotide sequence of a flankingsequence may be known. Here, the flanking sequence may be synthesizedusing the methods described herein for nucleic acid synthesis orcloning.

Where all or only a portion of the flanking sequence is known, it may beobtained using PCR and/or by screening a genomic library with a suitableoligonucleotide and/or flanking sequence fragment from the same oranother species. Where the flanking sequence is not known, a fragment ofDNA containing a flanking sequence may be isolated from a larger pieceof DNA that may contain, for example, a coding sequence or even anothergene or genes. Isolation may be accomplished by restriction endonucleasedigestion to produce the proper DNA fragment followed by isolation usingagarose gel purification, QIAGEN®, column chromatography (Qiagen,Chatsworth, Calif., USA), or other methods known to the skilled artisan.The selection of suitable enzymes to accomplish this purpose will bereadily apparent to those skilled in the art.

An origin of replication is typically a part of prokaryotic expressionvectors, particularly those purchased commercially, and the origin aidsin the amplification of the vector in a host cell. If the vector ofchoice does not contain an origin of replication site, one may bechemically synthesized based on a known sequence, and ligated into thevector. For example, the origin of replication from the plasmid pBR322(New England Biolabs, Beverly, Mass., USA.) is suitable for mostgram-negative bacteria and various origins of replication (e.g., SV40,polyoma, adenovirus, vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), or papillomaviruses such as HPV or BPV) are useful for cloning vectors in mammaliancells. Generally, a mammalian origin of replication is not needed formammalian expression vectors (for example, the SV40 origin is often usedonly because it contains the early promoter).

The expression and cloning vectors of the present invention willtypically contain a promoter that is recognized by the host organism andoperably linked to nucleic acid encoding an anti-NTB-A antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof. Promoters are untranscribed sequenceslocated upstream (i.e., 5′) to the start codon of a structural gene(generally within about 100 to 1000 bp) that control transcription ofthe structural gene. Promoters are conventionally grouped into one oftwo classes: inducible promoters and constitutive promoters. Induciblepromoters initiate increased levels of transcription from DNA undertheir control in response to some change in culture conditions, such asthe presence or absence of a nutrient or a change in temperature.Constitutive promoters, on the other hand, initiate continuous geneproduct production; that is, there is little or no experimental controlover gene expression. A large number of promoters, recognized by avariety of potential host cells, are well known. A suitable promoter isoperably linked to the DNA encoding an anti-NTB-A antibody by removingthe promoter from the source DNA by restriction enzyme digestion oramplifying the promoter by polymerase chain reaction and inserting thedesired promoter sequence into the vector.

Suitable promoters for use with yeast hosts are also well known in theart. Yeast enhancers are advantageously used with yeast promoters.Suitable promoters for use with mammalian host cells are well known andinclude, but are not limited to, those obtained from the genomes ofviruses such as polyoma virus, fowlpox virus, adenovirus (such asAdenovirus 2), bovine papilloma virus, avian sarcoma virus,cytomegalovirus, retroviruses, hepatitis-B virus and most preferablySV40. Other suitable mammalian promoters include heterologous mammalianpromoters, for example, heat-shock promoters and the actin promoter.

Particular promoters useful in the practice of the recombinantexpression vectors of the invention include, but are not limited to: theSV40 early promoter region (Bemoist and Chambon, Nature 290:304-10(1981)); the CMV promoter; the promoter contained in the 3′ longterminal repeat of Rous sarcoma virus (Yamamoto, et al., Cell 22:787-97(1980)); the herpes thymidine kinase promoter (Wagner et al., Proc.Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78:1444-45 (1981)); the regulatory sequences ofthe metallothionine gene (Brinster et al., Nature 296:39-42 (1982));prokaryotic expression vectors such as the beta-lactamase promoter(Villa-Kamaroff et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 75:3727-31(1978)); or the tac promoter (DeBoer et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.U.S.A. 80:21-25 (1983)). Also available for use are the following animaltranscriptional control regions, which exhibit tissue specificity andhave been utilized in transgenic animals: the elastase I gene controlregion that is active in pancreatic acinar cells (Swift et al., Cell38:63946 (1984); Ornitz et al., Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant Biol.50:399409 (1986); MacDonald, Hepatology 7:425-515 (1987)); the insulingene control region that is active in pancreatic beta cells (Hanahan,Nature 315:115-22 (1985)); the mouse mammary tumor virus control regionthat is active in testicular, breast, lymphoid and mast cells (Leder etal., Cell 45:485-95 (1986)); the albumin gene control region that isactive in liver (Pinkert et al., Genes Devel. 1:268-76 (1987)); thealpha-feto-protein gene control region that is active in liver (Krumlaufet al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 5:1639-48 (1985); Hammer et al., Science235:53-58 (1987)); the alpha 1-antitrypsin gene control region that isactive in the liver (Kelsey et al., Genes Devel. 1:161-71 (1987)); thebeta-globin gene control region that is active in myeloid cells (Mogramet al., Nature 315:338-40 (1985); Kollias et al., Cell 46:89-94 (1986));the myelin basic protein gene control region that is active inoligodendrocyte cells in the brain (Readhead et al., Cell 48:703-12(1987)); the myosin light chain-2 gene control region that is active inskeletal muscle (Sani, Nature 314:283-86 (1985)); the gonadotropicreleasing hormone gene control region that is active in the hypothalamus(Mason et al., Science 234:1372-78 (1986)); and most particularly theimmunoglobulin gene control region that is active in lymphoid cells(Grosschedl et al., Cell 38:647-58 (1984); Adames et al., Nature 318533-38 (1985); Alexander et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 7:1436-44 (1987)).

An enhancer sequence may be inserted into the vector to increase thetranscription in higher eukaryotes of a nucleic acid encoding ananti-NTB-A antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof of the presentinvention. Enhancers are cis-acting elements of DNA, usually about10-300 bp in length, that act on promoters to increase transcription.Enhancers are relatively orientation and position independent. They havebeen found 5′ and 3′ to the transcription unit. Several enhancersequences available from mammalian genes are known (e.g., globin,elastase, albumin, alpha-feto-protein and insulin). An enhancer sequencefrom a virus also can be used. The SV40 enhancer, the cytomegalovirusearly promoter enhancer, the polyoma enhancer, and adenovirus enhancersare exemplary enhancing elements for the activation of eukaryoticpromoters. While an enhancer may be spliced into the vector at aposition 5′ or 3′ to a nucleic acid molecule, it is typically placed ata site 5′ to the promoter.

In expression vectors, a transcription termination sequence is typicallylocated 3′ of the end of a polypeptide-coding region and serves toterminate transcription. A transcription termination sequence used forexpression in prokaryotic cells typically is a G-C rich fragmentfollowed by a poly-T sequence. While the sequence is easily cloned froma library or even purchased commercially as part of a vector, it canalso be readily synthesized using methods for nucleic acid synthesissuch as those described herein.

A selectable marker gene element encodes a protein necessary for thesurvival and growth of a host cell grown in a selective culture medium.Typical selection marker genes used in expression vectors encodeproteins that (a) confer resistance to antibiotics or other toxins,e.g., ampicillin, tetracycline, or kanamycin for prokaryotic host cells;(b) complement auxotrophic deficiencies of the cell; or (c) supplycritical nutrients not available from complex media. Examples ofselectable markers include the kanamycin resistance gene, the ampicillinresistance gene and the tetracycline resistance gene. A bacterialneomycin resistance gene can also be used for selection in bothprokaryotic and eukaryotic host cells.

Other selection genes can be used to amplify the gene that will beexpressed. Amplification is a process whereby genes that cannot insingle copy be expressed at high enough levels to permit survival andgrowth of cells under certain selection conditions are reiterated intandem within the chromosomes of successive generations of recombinantcells. Examples of suitable amplifiable selectable markers for mammaliancells include dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and promoterless thymidinekinase. In the use of these markers mammalian cell transformants areplaced under selection pressure wherein only the transformants areuniquely adapted to survive by virtue of the selection gene present inthe vector. Selection pressure is imposed by culturing the transformedcells under conditions in which the concentration of selection agent inthe medium is successively increased, thereby permitting survival ofonly those cells in which the selection gene has been amplified. Underthese circumstances, DNA adjacent to the selection gene, such as DNAencoding an antibody of the invention, is co-amplified with theselection gene. As a result, increased quantities of anti-NTB-A antibodypolypeptides are synthesized from the amplified DNA.

A ribosome-binding site is usually necessary for translation initiationof mRNA and is characterized by a Shine-Dalgarno sequence (prokaryotes)or a Kozak sequence (eukaryotes). The element is typically located 3′ tothe promoter and 5′ to the coding sequence of the polypeptide to beexpressed.

In some cases, for example where glycosylation is desired in aeukaryotic host cell expression system, various presequences can bemanipulated to improve glycosylation or yield. For example, thepeptidase cleavage site of a particular signal peptide can be altered,or pro-sequences added, which also may affect glycosylation. The finalprotein product may have in the −1 position (relative to the first aminoacid of the mature protein) one or more additional amino acids incidentto expression which may not have been totally removed. For example, thefinal protein product may have one or two amino acid residues found inthe peptidase cleavage site attached to the amino-terminus.Alternatively, use of some enzyme cleavage sites may result in aslightly truncated yet active form of the desired polypeptide if theenzyme cuts at such area within the mature polypeptide.

Where a commercially available expression vector lacks some of thedesired flanking sequences as described above, the vector can bemodified by individually ligating these sequences into the vector. Afterthe vector has been chosen and modified as desired, a nucleic acidmolecule encoding an anti-NTB-A antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof is inserted into the proper site of the vector.

The completed vector containing sequences encoding the inventiveantibody or antigen-binding region thereof is inserted into a suitablehost cell for amplification and/or polypeptide expression. Thetransformation of an expression vector for an anti-NTB-A antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof into a selected host cell may beaccomplished by well-known methods including methods such astransfection, infection, calcium chloride, electroporation,microinjection, lipofection, DEAE-dextran method, or other knowntechniques. The method selected will in part be a function of the typeof host cell to be used. These methods and other suitable methods arewell known to the skilled artisan.

The transformed host cell, when cultured under appropriate conditions,synthesizes an anti-NTB-A antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofthat can subsequently be collected from the culture medium (if the hostcell secretes it into the medium) or directly from the host cellproducing it (if it is not secreted). The selection of an appropriatehost cell will depend upon various factors, such as desired expressionlevels, polypeptide modifications that are desirable or necessary foractivity (such as glycosylation or phosphorylation) and ease of foldinginto a biologically active molecule.

Mammalian cell lines available as hosts for expression are well known inthe art and include, but are not limited to, many immortalized celllines available from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), suchas Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, human embryonic kidney (HEK)cells, HEK293 cells, HeLa cells, baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells, monkeykidney cells (COS), human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (e.g., Hep G2),and a number of other cell lines. In certain embodiments, the best cellline for expressing a particular DNA construct may be selected bytesting various cell lines to determine which ones have the highestlevels of expression levels and produce antibodies with constitutiveNTB-A binding properties.

VII. PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOSITIONS

A. Exemplary Formulations

In certain embodiments, the invention also provides compositionscomprising the subject anti-NTB-A antibodies or antigen-bindingfragments thereof together with one or more of the following: apharmaceutically acceptable diluent; a carrier; a solubilizer; andemulsifier; a preservative; and/or an adjuvant. Such compositions maycontain an effective amount of the anti-NTB-A antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof that are provided herein in thepreparation of a pharmaceutical composition of medicament is alsoincluded. Such compositions can be used in the treatment of a variety ofdiseases such as listed below.

The antibodies of the invention can be formulated into therapeuticcompositions in a variety of dosage forms such as, but not limited to,liquid solutions or suspensions, tablets, pills, powders, suppositories,polymeric microcapsules or microvesicles, liposomes, and injectable orinfusible solutions. The preferred form depends upon the mode ofadministration and the particular disease or disorder targeted. Thecompositions also preferably include pharmaceutically acceptablevehicles, carriers or adjuvants, well known in the art.

A “pharmaceutically acceptable” vehicle, carrier or adjuvant is anon-toxic agent that can be tolerated by a recipient patient.Representative non-limiting examples of such agents include human serumalbumin, ion exchangers, alumina, lecithin, buffer substances such asphosphates, glycine, sorbic acid, potassium sorbate, and salts orelectrolytes such as protamine sulfate. Suitable vehicles are, forexample, water, saline, phosphate-buffered saline, dextrose, glycerol,ethanol, or the like, and combinations thereof. Other suitable agentsare well-known to those in the art. See, for example, Remington'sPharmaceutical Sciences, Mack Publishing Company, Easton, Pa., 19thedition, 1995. Actual methods of preparing such compositions are alsoknown, or will be apparent, to those skilled in the art. See, e.g.,Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, 1995, supra.

Acceptable formulation components for pharmaceutical preparations arenontoxic to recipients at the dosages and concentrations employed. Inaddition to the antibodies and antigen-binding regions that areprovided, compositions according to the invention may contain componentsfor modifying, maintaining or preserving, for example, the pH,osmolarity, viscosity, clarity, color, isotonicity, odor, sterility,stability, rate of dissolution or release, adsorption or penetration ofthe composition. Suitable materials for formulating pharmaceuticalcompositions include, but are not limited to, amino acids (such asglycine, glutamine, asparagine, arginine or lysine); antimicrobials;antioxidants (such as ascorbic acid, sodium sulfite or sodiumhydrogen-sulfite); buffers (such as acetate, borate, bicarbonate,Tris-HCl, citrates, phosphates or other organic acids); bulking agents(such as mannitol or glycine); chelating agents (such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)); complexing agents (such as caffeine,polyvinylpyrrolidone, beta-cyclodextrin orhydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin); fillers; monosaccharides;disaccharides; and other carbohydrates (such as glucose, mannose ordextrins); proteins (such as serum albumin, gelatin or immunoglobulins);coloring, flavoring and diluting agents; emulsifying agents; hydrophilicpolymers (such as polyvinylpyrrolidone); low molecular weightpolypeptides; salt-forming counterions (such as sodium); preservatives(such as benzalkonium chloride, benzoic acid, salicylic acid,thimerosal, phenethyl alcohol, methylparaben, propylparaben,chlorhexidine, sorbic acid or hydrogen peroxide); solvents (such asglycerin, propylene glycol or polyethylene glycol); sugar alcohols (suchas mannitol or sorbitol); suspending agents; surfactants or wettingagents (such as pluronics, PEG, sorbitan esters, polysorbates such aspolysorbate 20, polysorbate 80, triton, tromethamine, lecithin,cholesterol, tyloxapal); stability enhancing agents (such as sucrose orsorbitol); tonicity enhancing agents (such as alkali metal halides,preferably sodium or potassium chloride, mannitol sorbitol); deliveryvehicles; diluents; excipients and/or pharmaceutical adjuvants. (seeRemington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, 1995, supra), hereby incorporatedby reference in its entirety for all purposes.

The primary vehicle or carrier in a pharmaceutical composition may beeither aqueous or non-aqueous in nature. Suitable vehicles or carriersfor such compositions include water for injection, physiological salinesolution or artificial cerebrospinal fluid, possibly supplemented withother materials common in compositions for parenteral administration.Neutral buffered saline or saline mixed with serum albumin are furtherexemplary vehicles. Compositions comprising anti-NTB-A antibodies orantigen-binding fragments thereof may be prepared for storage by mixingthe selected composition having the desired degree of purity withoptional formulation agents in the form of a lyophilized cake or anaqueous solution. Further the anti-NTB-A antibodies or antigen-bindingfragments thereof may be formulated as a lyophilizate using appropriateexcipients such as sucrose.

Formulation components are present in concentrations that are acceptableto the site of administration. Buffers are advantageously used tomaintain the composition at physiological pH or at a slightly lower pH,typically within a pH range of from about 4.0 to about 8.5, oralternatively, between about 5.0 to 8.0. Pharmaceutical compositions cancomprise TRIS buffer of about pH 6.5-8.5, or acetate buffer of about pH4.0-5.5, which may further include sorbitol or a suitable substitutetherefore.

The pharmaceutical composition to be used for in vivo administrationtypically is sterile. Sterilization may be accomplished by filtrationthrough sterile filtration membranes. If the composition is lyophilized,sterilization may be conducted either prior to or followinglyophilization and reconstitution. The composition for parenteraladministration may be stored in lyophilized form or in a solution. Incertain embodiments, parenteral compositions are placed into a containerhaving a sterile access port, for example, an intravenous solution bagor vial having a stopper pierceable by a hypodermic injection needle, ora sterile pre-filled syringe ready to use for injection.

Additional pharmaceutical methods may be employed to control theduration of action of an antibody in a therapeutic application. Controlrelease preparations can be prepared through the use of polymers tocomplex or adsorb the antibody. For example, biocompatible polymersinclude matrices of poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) and matrices of apolyanhydride copolymer of a stearic acid dimer and sebacic acid.Sherwood et al., Bio/Technology 10:1446 (1992). The rate of release ofan antibody from such a matrix depends upon the molecular weight of theprotein, the amount of antibody within the matrix, and the size ofdispersed particles. Saltzman et al., Biophys. J 55:163 (1989); Sherwoodet al., supra. Other solid dosage forms are described in Remington'sPharmaceutical Sciences, 1995, supra.

The above compositions can be administered using conventional modes ofdelivery including, but not limited to, intravenous, intraperitoneal,oral, intralymphatic, subcutaneous administration, intraarterial,intramuscular, intrapleural, intrathecal, and by perfusion through aregional catheter. Local administration to a tumor in question, willalso find use with the present invention. Eye drops can be used forintraocular administration. When administering the compositions byinjection, the administration may be by continuous infusion or by singleor multiple boluses. Intravenous injection provides a useful mode ofadministration due to the thoroughness of the circulation in rapidlydistributing antibodies. For parenteral administration, the antibodiesmay be administered in a pyrogen-free, parenterally acceptable aqueoussolution comprising the desired anti-NTB-A antibodies or antigen-bindingfragments thereof in a pharmaceutically acceptable vehicle. Aparticularly suitable vehicle for parenteral injection is steriledistilled water in which the anti-NTB-A antibodies or antigen-bindingfragments thereof are formulated as a sterile, isotonic solution,properly preserved.

Once the pharmaceutical composition of the invention has beenformulated, it may be stored in sterile vials as a solution, suspension,gel, emulsion, solid, or as a dehydrated or lyophilized powder. Suchformulations may be stored either in a ready-to-use form or in a form(e.g., lyophilized) that is reconstituted prior to administration.

The components used to formulate the pharmaceutical compositions arepreferably of high purity and are substantially free of potentiallyharmful contaminants (e.g., at least National Food (NF) grade, generallyat least analytical grade, and more typically at least pharmaceuticalgrade). Moreover, compositions intended for in vivo use are usuallysterile. To the extent that a given compound must be synthesized priorto use, the resulting product is typically substantially free of anypotentially toxic agents, particularly any endotoxins, which may bepresent during the synthesis or purification process. Compositions forparental administration are also sterile, substantially isotonic andmade under GMP conditions.

The present invention provides kits for producing multi-dose orsingle-dose administration units. For example, kits according to theinvention may each contain both a first container having a dried proteinand a second container having an aqueous diluent, including for examplesingle and multi-chambered pre-filled syringes (e.g., liquid syringes,lyosyringes or needle-free syringes).

The subject compositions comprising anti-NTB-A antibodies orantigen-binding fragments thereof also may be used ex vivo. In suchinstances, cells, tissues or organs that have been removed from thepatient are exposed to or cultured with the anti-NTB-A antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof. The cultured cells may then beimplanted back into the patient or a different patient or used for otherpurposes.

In certain embodiments, anti-NTB-A antibodies or antigen-bindingfragments thereof can be delivered by implanting certain cells that havebeen genetically engineered, using methods such as those describedherein, to express and secrete the polypeptide. Such cells may be animalor human cells, and may be autologous, heterologous, or xenogenic, ormay be immortalized. In order to decrease the chance of an immunologicalresponse, the cells may be encapsulated to avoid infiltration ofsurrounding tissues. Encapsulation materials are typicallybiocompatible, semi-permeable polymeric enclosures or membranes thatallow the release of the protein product(s) but prevent the destructionof the cells by the patient's immune system or by other detrimentalfactors from the surrounding tissues.

B. Dosage

For purposes of therapy, antibodies are administered to a patient in atherapeutically effective amount. A “therapeutically effective amount”is one that is physiologically significant. An agent is physiologicallysignificant if its presence results in a detectable change in thephysiology or disease or disorder state of a recipient. A“prophylactically effective amount” refers to an amount that iseffective to prevent, hinder or retard the onset of a disease state orsymptom.

Therapeutically effective doses will be easily determined by one ofskill in the art and will depend on the severity and course of thedisease, the patient's health and response to treatment, the patient'sage, weight, height, sex, previous medical history and the judgment ofthe treating physician. Typically, it is desirable to provide therecipient with a dosage of antibody component or immunoconjugate whichis in the range of from about 1 pg/kg to 10 mg/kg (amount of agent/bodyweight of patient), although a lower or higher dosage also may beadministered as circumstances dictate. In preferred embodiments,anti-NTB-A antibodies are administered at low protein doses, such as 20mg to 2 g protein per dose, given once, or repeatedly, parenterally.Alternatively, antibodies are administered in doses of 20 to 1000 mgprotein per dose, or 20 to 500 mg protein per dose, or 20 to 100 mgprotein per dose.

VIII. DIAGNOSTIC ASSAYS

Antibodies of the present invention can be used in vivo, i.e., injectedinto subjects, for diagnostic or therapeutic uses. The use of antibodiesfor in vivo diagnosis is well known in the art. Sumerdon et al., Nucl.Med. Biol 17:247-254 (1990) have described an optimizedantibody-chelator for the radioimmunoscintographic imaging ofcarcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-expressing tumors using Indium-111 as thelabel. Griffin et al., J Clin One 9:631-640 (1991) have described theuse of this agent in detecting tumors in patients suspected of havingrecurrent colorectal cancer. The use of similar agents with paramagneticions as labels for magnetic resonance imaging is known in the art (R. B.Lauffer, Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 22:339-342 (1991). Thus,antibodies directed against the NTB-A antigen can be injected intosubjects suspected of having a disease or disorder in which NTB-A isimplicated for the purpose of diagnosing or staging the disease statusof the patient. The label used will depend on the imaging modalitychosen. Radioactive labels such as Indium-111, Technetium-99m, orIodine-131 can be used for planar scans or single photon emissioncomputed tomography (SPECT). Positron emitting labels such asFluorine-19 can also be used for positron emission tomography (PET). ForMRI, paramagnetic ions such as Gadolinium (III) or Manganese (II) can beused. Localization of the label within the patient allows determinationof the presence and/or spread of the disease.

The antibodies generated against the NTB-A cell surface antigen can alsobe used in standard in vitro immunoassays, to screen biological samplessuch as blood, tissues and/or tumors for the presence or absence of theNTB-A cell surface antigen. Thus, the anti-NTB-A antibodies produced asdescribed above, can be used in diagnostic assays. The anti-NTB-Aantibodies can be used as either the capture component and/or thedetection component in the assays, as described further below. Thus, thepresence of NTB-A antigen can be determined by the presence of NTB-Aantigens and/or anti-NTB-A antibodies.

For example, the presence of NTB-A cell surface antigens can be detectedusing standard electrophoretic and immunodiagnostic techniques,including immunoassays such as competition, direct reaction, or sandwichtype assays. Such assays include, but are not limited to, Western blots;agglutination tests; enzyme-labeled and mediated immunoassays, such asenzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (“ELISAs”); biotin/avidin typeassays; radioimmunoassays; immunoelectrophoresis; immunoprecipitation,etc. The reactions generally include revealing labels such asfluorescent, chemiluminescent, radioactive, or enzymatic labels or dyemolecules, or other methods for detecting the formation of a complexbetween the antigens and the antibodies described above.

Assays can also be conducted in solution, such that the antigens andantibodies thereto form complexes under precipitating conditions. Theprecipitated complexes can then be separated from the test sample, forexample, by centrifugation. The reaction mixture can be analyzed todetermine the presence or absence of antibody-antigen complexes usingany of a number of standard methods, such as those immunodiagnosticmethods described above.

The antigens and antibodies can be provided in kits, with suitableinstructions and other necessary reagents, in order to conductimmunoassays as described above. The kit can also contain, depending onthe particular immunoassay used, suitable labels and other packagedreagents and materials (i.e. wash buffers and the like). Standardimmunoassays, such as those described above, can be conducted usingthese kits.

IX. THERAPEUTIC USES

The present invention provides antibodies or antigen-binding fragmentsthereof that bind to NTB-A epitopes that are useful for the treatment ofhuman diseases and pathological conditions. Agents that modulate NTB-Aactivity, or other cellular activity, may be used in combination withother therapeutic agents to enhance their therapeutic effects ordecrease potential side effects.

Supplemental active compounds can also be incorporated into thecompositions. In certain embodiments, an anti-NTB-A antibody ofantigen-binding fragment can be co-formulated with one or moreadditional therapeutic agents, such as a chemotherapeutic agent, anantineoplastic agent, or an anti-tumor agent. These agents includewithout limitation, antibodies that bind other targets (e.g., antibodiesthat bind one or more growth factors, cytokines, or cell surfacereceptors), NTB-A binding proteins, antineoplastic agents,chemotherapeutic agents, anti-tumor agents, antisense oligonucleotidesagainst NTB-A, NTB-A peptide analogs, and/or one or more chemical agentsthat inhibit NTB-A production or activity, which are known in the art.

In another aspect, the anti-NTB-A antibody may be co-administered withother therapeutic agents, such as antineoplastic drugs or molecules, toa patient who has a hyperproliferative disorder, such as cancer or atumor. In one aspect, the invention relates to a method for thetreatment of the hyperproliferative disorder in a mammal comprisingadministering to said mammal a therapeutically effective amount of acompound of the invention in combination with an anti-tumor agentselected from the group consisting of, but not limited to, mitoticinhibitors, alkylating agents, anti-metabolites, intercalating agents,growth factor inhibitors, cell cycle inhibitors, enzymes, topoisomeraseinhibitors, biological response modifiers, anti-hormones, kinaseinhibitors, matrix metalloprotease inhibitors, genetic therapeutics andanti-androgens. In a more preferred embodiment, the antibody may beadministered with an antineoplastic agent, such as adriamycin or taxol.In another preferred embodiment, the antibody or combination therapy isadministered along with radiotherapy, chemotherapy, photodynamictherapy, surgery or other immunotherapy. In yet another preferredembodiment, the antibody will be administered with another antibody. Forexample, an anti-NTB-A antibody may be administered with an antibody orother agent that is known to inhibit tumor or cancer cell proliferation,e.g., an antibody or agent that inhibits erbB2 receptor, EGF-R, CD20 orVEGF.

Co-administration of the antibody of the invention with an additionaltherapeutic agent (combination therapy) encompasses administering apharmaceutical composition comprising an anti-NTB-A antibody and theadditional therapeutic agent and administering two or more separatepharmaceutical compositions, one comprising an anti-NTB-A antibody andthe other(s) comprising the additional therapeutic agent(s). Further,although co-administration or combination therapy generally means thatthe antibody and additional therapeutic agents are administered at thesame time as one another, it also encompasses instances in which theantibody and additional therapeutic agents are administered at differenttimes. For instance, the antibody may be administered once every threedays, while the additional therapeutic agent is administered once daily.Alternatively, the antibody may be administered prior to or subsequentto treatment of the disorder with the additional therapeutic agent.Similarly, administration of the anti-NTB-A antibody may be administeredprior to or subsequent to other therapy, such as radiotherapy,chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy, surgery or other immunotherapy

The antibody and one or more additional therapeutic agents (thecombination therapy) may be administered once, twice or at least theperiod of time until the condition is treated, palliated or cured.Preferably, the combination therapy is administered multiple times. Thecombination therapy may be administered from three times daily to onceevery six months. The administering may be on a schedule such as threetimes daily, twice daily, once daily, once every two days, once everythree days, once weekly, once every two weeks, once every month, onceevery two months, once every three months, once every six months, or maybe administered continuously via a minipump. The combination therapy maybe administered via an oral, mucosal, buccal, intranasal, inhalable,intravenous, subcutaneous, intramuscular, parenteral, intratumor ortopical route. The combination therapy may be administered at a sitedistant from the site of the tumor or at a site proximal to the tumor.The combination therapy generally will be administered for as long asthe tumor is present provided that the antibody causes the tumor orcancer to stop growing or to decrease in weight or volume.

In a still further embodiment, the anti-NTB-A antibody can be labeledwith a radiolabel, an immunotoxin or a toxin, or is a fusion proteincomprising a toxic peptide. The anti-NTB-A antibody or anti-NTB-Aantibody fusion protein directs the radiolabel, immunotoxin, toxin ortoxic peptide to the NTB-A-expressing cell. In a preferred embodiment,the radiolabel, immunotoxin, toxin or toxic peptide is internalizedafter the anti-NTB-A antibody binds to the NTB-A on the surface of thecell.

In one aspect, the present invention provides reagents and methodsuseful for treating diseases and conditions characterized by undesirableor aberrant levels of NTB-A in a cell. In a particular embodiment, theantibodies and derivatives thereof are used in vivo to treat, prevent ordiagnose a variety of NTB-A-related neoplastic diseases. These diseasesinclude hematologic malignancies including, but not limited tomyeloproliferative diseases including acute myelogenous leukemia,chronic myelogenous leukemia, chronic neutrophilic leukemia, chroniceosinophilic leukemia/hypereosinophilic syndrome, chronic idiopathicmyelofibrosis, polycythemia vera, essential (or primary)thrombocythemia, unclassifiable myeloproliferative disease;myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative diseases including chronicmyelomonocytic leukemia, atypical chronic myelogenous leukemia, juvenilemyelomonocytic leukemia; myelodysplastic syndromes including chronicanemia, nonprogressive anemia, refractory anemia, refractory cytopenia,5q⁻ (5q deletion) syndrome, unclassifiable myelodysplastic syndrome;acute myeloid leukemias, acute myelomonocytic leukemia, acute monocyticleukemia, acute erythoid leukemia, acute megakaryocytic leukemia, acutebasophilic leukemia, acute panmyelosis with myelofibrosis; acutebiphenotypic leukemias; precursor B-cell neoplasms including precursorB-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma, precursor B-cell acute lymphoblasticleukemia; mature (peripheral) B-cell neoplasms including B-cell acutelymphocytic leukemia, B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia/smalllymphocytic lymphoma, B-cell prolymphocytic leukemia, lymphoplasmacyticlymphoma, splenic marginal zone B-cell lymphoma, hairy cell leukemia,plasma cell myeloma/plasmacytoma, extranodal marginal zone B-celllymphoma, nodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma,mantle cell lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, mediastinal largeB-cell lymphoma, primary effusion lymphoma, Burkitt lymphoma/Burkittcell leukemia; precursor T-cell neoplasms including precursorT-lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia, precursor T-cell acute lymphoblasticleukemia; mature (peripheral) T-cell neoplasms including T-cellprolymphocytic leukemia, T-cell granular lymphocytic leukemia,aggressive NK-cell leukemia, adult T-cell lymphoma/leukemia, extranodalNK/T-cell lymphoma, enteropathy-type T-cell lymphoma, hepatosplenicgamma-delta T-cell lymphoma, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, subcutaneouspanniculities-like T-cell lymphoma, mycosis fungiodes/Sezary syndrome,anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, peripheral T-cell lymphoma,angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, anaplastic large-cell lymphoma;Hodgkin lymphomas; mast cell diseases including cutaneous mastocytosis,systemic mast cell disease, mast cell leukemia/sarcoma;macrophage/histiocytic sarcomas; and dendritic cell neoplasms includingLangerhans cell histiocytosis, Langerhans cell sarcoma; folliculardendritic cell sarcoma/tumor, dendritic cell sarcoma; myelomas includingmultiple myeloma, extramedullary plasmacytoma, solitary myeloma; andWaldenstrom macroglobulinemia; X-linked lymphoproliferative disorders;and Epstein Barr Virus (EBV)-related conditions such as mononucleosis.

The present invention also provides methods of treating cancer in ananimal, including humans, comprising administering to the animal aneffective amount of an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof thatinduces ADCC or CDC of NTB-A-expressing cells. The invention is furtherdirected to methods of inhibiting cancer cell growth, includingprocesses of cellular proliferation, invasiveness, and metastasis inbiological systems. Methods include use of a compound of the inventionas an inhibitor of cancer cell growth. Preferably, the methods areemployed to inhibit or reduce cancer cell growth, invasiveness,metastasis or tumor incidence in living animals, such as mammals.Methods of the invention are also readily adaptable for use in assaysystems, e.g., assaying cancer cell growth and properties thereof, aswell as identifying compounds that affect cancer cell growth.

The cancers treatable by methods of the present invention preferablyoccur in mammals. Mammals include, for example, humans and otherprimates, as well as pet or companion animals such as dogs and cats,laboratory animals such as rats, mice and rabbits, and farm animals suchas horses, pigs, sheep and cattle.

Tumors or neoplasms include growths of tissue cells in which themultiplication of the cells is uncontrolled and progressive. Some suchgrowths are benign, but others are termed malignant and may lead todeath of the organism. Malignant neoplasms or cancers are distinguishedfrom benign growths in that, in addition to exhibiting aggressivecellular proliferation, they may invade surrounding tissues andmetastasize. Moreover, malignant neoplasms are characterized in thatthey show a greater loss of differentiation (greater dedifferentiation),and of their organization relative to one another and their surroundingtissues. This property is also called “anaplasia.”

Neoplasms treatable by the present invention also include solid phasetumors/malignancies, i.e., carcinomas, locally advanced tumors and humansoft tissue sarcomas. Carcinomas include those malignant neoplasmsderived from epithelial cells that infiltrate (invade) the surroundingtissues and give rise to metastastic cancers, including lymphaticmetastases. Adenocarcinomas are carcinomas derived from glandulartissue, or which form recognizable glandular structures. Another broadcategory or cancers includes sarcomas, which are tumors whose cells areembedded in a fibrillar or homogeneous substance like embryonicconnective tissue. The invention also enables treatment of cancers ofthe myeloid or lymphoid systems, including leukemias, lymphomas andother cancers that typically do not present as a tumor mass, but aredistributed in the vascular or lymphoreticular systems.

The type of cancer or tumor cells that may be amenable to treatmentaccording to the invention include, for example, acute lymphocyticleukemia, acute nonlymphocytic leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia,chronic myelocytic leukemia, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, hairy cellleukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, erythroleukemia, chronic myeloid(granulocytic) leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma,gastrointestinal cancers including esophageal cancer, stomach cancer,colon cancer, colorectal cancer, polyps associated with colorectalneoplasms, pancreatic cancer and gallbladder cancer, cancer of theadrenal cortex, ACTH-producing tumor, bladder cancer, brain cancerincluding intrinsic brain tumors, neuroblastomas, astrocytic braintumors, gliomas, and metastatic tumor cell invasion of the centralnervous system, Ewing's sarcoma, head and neck cancer including mouthcancer and larynx cancer, kidney cancer including renal cell carcinoma,liver cancer, lung cancer including small and non-small cell lungcancers, malignant peritoneal effusion, malignant pleural effusion, skincancers including malignant melanoma, tumor progression of human skinkeratinocytes, squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, andhemangiopericytoma, mesothelioma, Kaposi's sarcoma, bone cancerincluding osteomas and sarcomas such as fibrosarcoma and osteosarcoma,cancers of the female reproductive tract including uterine cancer,endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, ovarian (germ cell) cancer and solidtumors in the ovarian follicle, vaginal cancer, cancer of the vulva, andcervical cancer; breast cancer (small cell and ductal), penile cancer,prostate cancer, retinoblastoma, testicular cancer, thyroid cancer,trophoblastic neoplasms, and Wilms' tumor.

The invention is particularly illustrated herein in reference totreatment of certain types of experimentally defined cancers. In theseillustrative treatments, standard state-of-the-art in vitro and in vivomodels have been used. These methods can be used to identify agents thatcan be expected to be efficacious in in vivo treatment regimens.However, it will be understood that the method of the invention is notlimited to the treatment of these tumor types, but extends to any cancerderived from any organ system and any disease or disorder in which theNTB-A cell surface antigen is implicated. As demonstrated in Example 3,NTB-A is highly expressed in primary B cells and B-cell relateddisorders. Leukemias can result from uncontrolled B cell proliferationinitially within the bone marrow before disseminating to the peripheralblood, spleen, lymph nodes and finally to other tissues. Uncontrolled Bcell proliferation also may result in the development of lymphomas thatarise within the lymph nodes and then spread to the blood and bonemarrow. Immunotargeting NTB-A may be used in treating B cellmalignancies, leukemias, lymphomas and myelomas including but notlimited to multiple myeloma, Burkitt's lymphoma, cutaneous B celllymphoma, primary follicular cutaneous B cell lymphoma, B lineage acutelymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), Bcell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), acute lymphoblastic leukemia,hairy cell leukemia (HCL), acute myelogenous leukemia, acutemyelomonocytic leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, lymphosarcomacell leukemia, splenic marginal zone lymphoma, diffuse large B celllymphoma, B cell large cell lymphoma, malignant lymphoma, prolymphocyticleukemia (PLL), lymphoplasma cytoid lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma,mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, primary thyroidlymphoma, intravascular malignant lymphomatosis, splenic lymphoma,Hodgkin's disease, and intragraft angiotropic large-cell lymphoma. Otherdiseases that may be treated by the methods of the present inventioninclude multicentric Castleman's disease, primary amyloidosis,Franklin's disease, Seligmann's disease, primary effusion lymphoma,post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) [associated with EBVinfection], paraneoplastic pemphigus, chronic lymphoproliferativedisorders, X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome (XLP), acquiredangioedema, angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy with dysproteinemia,Herman's syndrome, post-splenectomy syndrome, congenitaldyserythropoietic anemia type III, lymphoma-associated hemophagocyticsyndrome (LAHS), necrotizing ulcerative stomatitis, Kikuchi's disease,lymphomatoid granulomatosis, Richter's syndrome, polycythemic vera (PV),Gaucher's disease, Gougerot-Sjogren syndrome, Kaposi's sarcoma, cerebrallymphoplasmocytic proliferation (Bind and Neel syndrome), X-linkedlymphoproliferative disorders, pathogen associated disorders such asmononucleosis (Epstein Barr Virus), lymphoplasma cellular disorders,post-transplantational plasma cell dyscrasias, and Good's syndrome.

X. ARTICLES OF MANUFACTURE

In another embodiment of the invention, an article of manufacturecontaining materials useful for the treating diseases or disordersimplicating NTB-A is provided. The article of manufacture comprises acontainer and a label or package insert on or associated with thecontainer. Suitable containers include, for example, bottles, vials,syringes, etc. The containers may be formed from a variety of materialssuch as glass or plastic. The container holds a composition which iseffective for treating the condition and may have a sterile access port(for example the container may be an intravenous solution bag or a vialhaving a stopper pierceable by a hypodermic injection needle). At leastone active agent in the composition is an anti-NTB-A antibody (e.g.,480.12 or 994.1). The label or package insert indicates that thecomposition is used for treating leukemias or lymphomas, for examplechronic lymphocytic leukemia. Alternatively, or additionally, thearticle of manufacture may further comprise a second containercomprising a pharmaceutically-acceptable buffer, such as bacteriostaticwater for injection (BWFI), phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), Ringer'ssolution and dextrose solution. It may further include other materialsdesirable from a commercial and user standpoint, including otherbuffers, diluents, filters, needles and syringes.

XI. DEPOSIT OF MATERIALS

The following hybridoma cell lines (see Table 4) have been depositedunder the conditions of the Budapest Treaty with the American TypeCulture Collection, 10801 University Boulevard, Manassas, Va. 20110-2209(ATCC). They will be irrevocably and without restriction or conditionreleased to the public upon issuance of a patent.

TABLE 4 Antibody Designation ATCC Deposit No. Deposit Date 480.12PTA-7832 Aug. 22, 2006 996.1 PTA-7831 Aug. 22, 2006

Further details of the invention are illustrated by the followingnon-limiting Examples. The disclosures of all citations in thespecification are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

Example 1 Generation and Production of Recombinant NTB-A Protein

A. Molecular Cloning of NTB-A

A human cDNA library was used as a template to amplify the extracellulardomain of NTB-A by PCR. The resulting 579 bp fragment with the followingsequence was cloned into pIntron.IgKsigP at NheI/NotI restriction sites:

(SEQ ID NO: 23) CAAAGCAGCTTAACCCCATTGATGGTGAACGGGATTCTGGGGGAGTCAGTAACTCTTCCCCTGGAGTTTCCTGCAGGAGAGAAGGTCAACTTCATCACTTGGCTTTTCAATGAAACATCTCTTGCCTTCATAGTACCCCATGAAACCAAAAGTCCAGAAATCCACGTGACTAATCCGAAACAGGGAAAGCGACTGAACTTCACCCAGTCCTACTCCCTGCAACTCAGCAACCTGAAGATGGAAGACACAGGCTCTTACAGAGCCCAGATATCCACAAAGACCTCTGCAAAGCTATCCAGTTACACTCTGAGGATATTAAGACAACTGAGGAACATACAAGTTACCAATCACAGTCAGCTATTTCAGAATATGACCTGTGAGCTCCATCTGACTTGCTCTGTGGAGGATGCAGATGACAATGTCTCATTCAGATGGGAGGCCTTGGGAAACACACTTTCAAGTCAGCCAAACCTCACTGTCTCCTGGGACCCCAGGATTTCCAGTGAACAGGACTACACCTGCATAGCAGAGAATGCTGTCAGTAATTTATCCTTCTCTGTCTCTGCCCAGAAGCTTTGC.

B. Recombinant Protein Production

3×10⁶ HEK-293 cells (ATCC) were plated in a 100 mm cell culture plate in10 mL of DMEM+10% FBS+Pen/Strep+L-Glutamine. After 24 hours, the cellswere transfected with 15 μg of a plasmid construct containing thesequence of the NTB-A extracellular domain fused to a C-terminal tag ofV5-His (NTB-A-ECD-V5His; SEQ ID NO: 3) using FuGene6 transfectionreagent (Roche). 48 hours post-transfection, the medium was changed to10 mL of DMEM+10% FBS+Pen/Strep+L-Glutamine containing 1.0 mg/ml G418.The G418-resistant cells were selected for 2 weeks with selection mediumchanged every 2-3 days. The stable cells were further subjected toclonal selection for 3-4 weeks. Clonal cell lines expressingNTB-A-ECD-V5His recombinant protein were screened with bothHisSord-based ELISA (Qiagen) and Western blot analysis detected withanti-V5 monoclonal antibody (Invitrogen). Stable clones with the highestprotein expression levels were selected and expanded. The selectedclone(s) was further subjected to suspension- and serum-deficientadaptation for 3-4 weeks and the recombinant protein expression wasmonitored with Western blot analysis. Production of the recombinantprotein was performed with 1 L spinners. About 50 L of conditionalmedium (2-4 mg/L) were harvested and subjected to protein purificationprocess.

C. Purification of NTB-A V5-6His Protein from HEK293 Cells

18 L culture supernatants from stably transfected HEK293 cellscontaining recombinant NTB-A-ECD-V5His was supplemented with 1 mM EDTAand 0.4 mM Pefbloc (Roche) protease inhibitors and filtered through a0.22 μm filter. The supernatant was 10-fold concentrated and diafilteredwith 20 mM sodium phosphate, 0.5 M NaCl, pH 7 buffer using a Tangentialflow filtration (TFF) system with 10 kDa cut-off membrane (PallFiltron). The diafiltered medium was loaded on a 5 mL Ni-chelatingaffinity column (GE Healthcare) which was then washed with 20 mMimidazole and eluted with a gradient of 20 nM to 220 nM imidazole.Fractions containing NTB-A were pooled and buffer exchanged to PBSbuffer resulting in a final yield of 10 mg protein with 97% purity.

Example 2 Generation and Characterization of Anti-NTB-A MonoclonalAntibodies

A. Generation of Hybridomas

Recombinant NTB-A protein containing the complete extracellular domainwas produced as described in Example 1. Using standard protocols (seeKohler and Milstein, Nature 256:495-497 (1975) herein incorporated byreference in its entirety), immunizations of Balb/c mice with theextracellular domain of NTB-A (NTB-A-ECD-V5His; SEQ ID NO: 3) andsubsequent fusions with SP20-Ag14 cells (ATCC) resulted in a total of296 hybridoma supernatants containing antibodies which bound to NTB-A inan ELISA screen, 128 of which scored positive by FACS analysis on CA46Burkitt's lymphoma cells. Briefly, CA46 cells (ATCC #CRL-1648) wereresuspended at 5×10⁶ cells/ml in blocking buffer (10% heat-inactivatedhuman serum, BioWhittaker #14-402E in PBS) and 100 μl were added to eachwell of a round-bottom 96-well plates and incubated for 15 minutes onice. 100 μl of hybridoma supernatant was added to each well and plateswere incubated for an additional 20 minutes on ice. Cells werecentrifuged for 5 minutes at 1500 rpm, supernatant was removed and cellswere washed twice in cold FACS buffer (1% BSA in PBS). The pellet wasresuspended in 100 μl blocking buffer containing 0.25 μg of secondaryantibody (goat anti-mouse PE conjugated, BD Pharmingen #550589) andincubated for 15 minutes on ice. Cells were analyzed for fluorescence inFL-2 using an Automated Microsampler from Cytek hooked up to aFACScalibur (Becton Dickinson).

Based on isotype and relative affinity, 20 hits were subcloned,re-screened, selected for scale-up and purified using a protein Gcolumn. Initial analysis of complement-mediated cytotoxicity on B celllines revealed two lead monoclonal antibodies with potent efficacy invitro: 480.12 and 994.1 (ATCC Deposit No. PTA-7832 and PTA-7831,respectively), both of which are IgG₂b murine monoclonal antibodies,which were subsequently used in detailed expression analysis andefficacy studies and to generate chimeric monoclonal antibodies(discussed below).

B. ELISA Screen of Hybridoma Supernatants for Bindinci to NTB-A

Antigen was coated at 1 μg/ml in Carbonate-Bicarbonate buffer (Sigma#C-3041) on MaxiSorp 96-well plates (Nunc) and incubated overnight at 4°C. After three washes with 300 μg/well TBST (0.1 M Tris-HCl, 0.15 MNaCl, 0.05% Tween-20), wells were blocked using 300 μg/well 2% BSA(Sigma #A9647) in PBS for one hour at room temperature. Hybridomasupernatants were diluted 1:2 in Iscove's Media (Gibco #31980-030) with10% FBS (Gibco #20012-027) and 100 μl was added to each well followed byincubation for 2 hours on a plate shaker at room temperature. Threewashes with TBST were followed by addition of 100 μl of secondaryantibody, goat anti-mouse Ig-HRP (BioRad #170-6516), diluted 1:10,000 in0.5% BSA/PBS and incubation for one hour on a plate shaker. After fivewashes with TBST, 100 μl TMB substrate (KPL #50-76-03) were added andcolor was allowed to develop for 10 minutes. Plates were read at 450 nmon a SpectraMax plate reader (Molecular Devices).

C. Generation of Anti-NTB-A Chimeric Monoclonal Antibodies

Chimeric mAbs against NTB-A were generated as follows: RNA was isolatedfrom hybridoma fusion cells expressing the anti-NTB-A mAb of interest.Using standard RACE/RT-PCR techniques, the heavy and light variableregions were cloned into two separate expression vectors in fusion withcDNA encoding for human IgG₁ constant regions. The resulting plasmidswere co-transfected into CHO cells and stable cell lines were selectedsecreting full-length chimeric mAbs. Conditioned medium of these celllines was subjected to protein G purification to yield purified chimericmAbs. Initial analysis revealed two lead chimeric mAbs: 480.12/77 and994.1/9, both of which are IgG₁ and were subsequently used in detailedexpression analysis and efficacy studies (discussed below).

Example 3 Expression in Primary Cells and Cancer Lines

Fluorescein (FITC)-labeled mAb 480.12 was used to analyze expression ofNTB-A in normal and CLL patient primary cells. Normal human peripheralblood cells were assayed for NTB-A expression by flow cytometry asdescribed above (FIG. 1A). Markers for normal B, T, and NK cells as wellas monocytes, granulocytes and platelets were used to identify thevarious cell populations as indicated. The analysis confirmed previouslyreported expression on T and NK cells (Bottino, et al., J. Exp. Med.194:235-246 (2001); Valdez et al., J. Biol. Chem. 279:18662-18669(2004)), and a higher expression on normal B cells. Low levels of NTB-Awere also found on platelets and monocytes, whereas granulocytes did notexpress NTB-A. In addition, a total of 12 samples representingcirculating B cells from CLL patients were analyzed and found to expressrelatively high levels of NTB-A (FIG. 1A, upper panel). Analysis ofcynomolgus peripheral blood cells revealed binding of anti-NTB-A mAbs aswell (FIG. 1B).

Expression analysis of CD52 and CD20 showed both CD52 and CD20 weredownregulated in CLL patient lymphocytes (B cells) as compared to normalB cells (FIG. 1C). NTB-A expression was maintained in CLL lymphocytessuggesting that antibodies that target NTB-A can be useful astherapeutics for CLL.

Monoclonal antibody 994.1 was used to analyze a panel of cell lines byWestern blotting (FIG. 1D). All cells were purchased from ATCC andmaintained in their recommended medium. Cell lysates were prepared usingCell Lysis Buffer from Cell Signaling Technology (#9803), according tothe manufacturer's recommendations. Protein concentrations weredetermined using the RC DC protein assay kit 11 (Bio-Rad #500-0122). 25μg of total cell lysate was loaded on a 4-12% NuPage Bis-Tris gel(Invitrogen #NP0321) and run under non-reduced conditions according tothe manufacturer's recommendations. Proteins were transferred tonitrocellulose (Invitrogen #LC2001), using the XCell SureLock Mini-Celland Blot module (Invitrogen #EI0002). Membranes were blocked in 5%non-fat milk for 1 hour at room temperature, primary antibody was addedafter 5 washes (5 minutes each) in TBST (0.1 M Tris-HCl, 0.15 M NaCl,0.05% Tween-20) and incubated for 2 hours (1 μg/ml in 5% milk). Blotswere washed five times in TBST and incubated in secondary antibody (goatanti-mouse Ig-HRP, BioRad #170-6516) diluted 1:10,000 in 5% milk for 1hour at room temperature. Blots were washed again five times in TBST,developed using Pierce's ECL Western blot substrate (#32209) and exposedto Kodak Biomax XAR film (Sigma #F5763). Expression levels varied widelyin cells from hematopoietic origin, in accordance with data obtained byflow cytometry (not shown). Expression was highest in B cell lines,lower in T and multiple myeloma cells and no signal was detected inlysates from cells originating from the myeloid lineage.

In an immunohistochemistry-tissue microarray experiment, analysis ofnormal tissues revealed expression of NTB-A in spleen and tonsil, allother normal tissues were negative (see Table 5). In lymphomas, NTB-Aexpression was observed in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBL),follicular lymphoma, small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), mantle celllymphoma and Burkitt's lymphoma, with representative images depicted inFIG. 1E. These results demonstrate expression of NTB-A on normal andmalignant B cells, whereas expression on other cells is significantlylower (T and NK) or absent (myeloid).

TABLE 5 Tissue Antibody 480.12 Negative Control Heart Negative (5/5case) Negative (5/5 case) Liver Negative (5/5) Negative (5/5) ColonPositive with plasma cells, Negative (5/5) lymphocyte and mast cells(5/5) Breast Negative (5/5) Negative (5/5) Kidney Negative (5/5)Negative (5/5) Brain Negative (5/5) Negative (5/5) Lung Negative (5/5)Negative (5/5) Uterus Negative (5/5) Negative (5/5) Small intestineNegative (5/5) Negative (5/5) Skin Negative (5/5) Negative (5/5)Prostrate Negative (5/5) Negative (5/5) Pancreas Negative (5/5) Negative(5/5) Ovary Negative (5/5) Negative (5/5) Tonsil Positive (3/5) but muchNegative (5/5) less “+” cell Bladder Negative (5/5) Negative (5/5)Testis Negative (5/5) Negative (5/5) Stomach Negative (5/5) Negative(5/5) Spleen* Negative (5/5) Negative (5/5) *positive: 2/5 cases atfirst time staining

Example 4 Epitope Mapping of Anti-NTB-A Antibodies 480.12 and 994.1

FACS-based competition assays revealed overlapping epitopes of 480.12and 994.1 (data not shown). In order to further investigate this, aseries of NTB-A deletion constructs were made (SEQ ID NO: 12-16) andexpressed in 293 cells. Binding of mAbs 480.12 and 994.1 was determinedby flow cytometry. Both antibodies bound NTB-A Δ1 (SEQ ID NO: 12), NTB-AΔ2 (SEQ ID NO: 13), and NTB-A Δ3 (SEQ ID NO: 14); however neitherantibody bound NTB-A Δ4 (SEQ ID NO: 15) or NTB-A Δ5 (SEQ ID NO: 16).Therefore, the results demonstrate binding of mAbs 480.12 and 994.1 to aregion of 30 amino acids at the C-terminal end of the first Ig domain ofNTB-A defined by SEQ ID NO: 17 or amino acids 95 to 124 of SEQ ID NO: 1(FIG. 2).

An amino acid alignment of the extracellular domains of human andcynomolgus NTB-A revealed that the two proteins are 83% identical and86% similar. The epitope to which NTB-A mAbs 480.12 and 994.1 bind ismostly conserved (FIG. 3).

To confirm the epitope, x-ray crystallography analysis was performed byco-crystallizing NTB-A with an Fab fragment of 480.12 using standardtechniques as described in Cao et al. (Immunity 25:559-570 (2006),herein incorporated by reference in its entirety). Briefly, an Fabfragment of mAb 480.12 was generated through papain digestion of thefull-length mouse mAb. Bacterially expressed NTB-A was co-crystallizedwith the Fab fragment and the structure of the co-crystal was determinedas described in Cao et al, 2006, supra. The crystal structure showedthat the Fab fragment interacts with the IgV-IgC2 interface region ofNTB-A (FIGS. 4A & B).

Example 5 Affinity Measurements for mAbs 480.12 and 994.1

Kinetic rate constants (k_(a) and k_(d)) were determined using surfaceplasmon resonance and affinities (K_(D)) were then calculated from therate constants (k_(d)/k_(a)). Surface plasmon resonance was carried outon a BIAcore system (Biacore International AB, Uppsala, Sweden).Monoclonal antibodies (480.12 or 994.1) were diluted to 2 μg/ml and thencaptured on the biosensor surface using an anti-mouse mAb. Antigen wasdiluted to a starting concentration of 46 nM and tested for binding tothe mAb samples using a 3-fold dilution series. Each of 5 concentrationswas tested twice except the highest concentration which was tested 5times in total, two times with a short dissociation of 300 secondsfollowed by three times with a dissociation of 60 minutes. The data setsfrom the long dissociation experiments were globally fit with theshorter association experiments to determine binding constants for theinteractions. The analysis was carried out in HBS, pH 7.4 buffer at 25°C. (Canziani et al, Anal. Biochem. 352:301-307 (2004)). The k_(a),k_(d), and K_(D) values for 480.12 and 994.1 are listed in Table 6 belowand the binding response rates are shown in FIG. 5.

TABLE 6 mAb k_(a) (M⁻¹s⁻¹) k_(d) (s⁻¹) K_(D) (M) 480.12 4.04 × 10⁵ 5.0 ×10⁻⁴ 1.246 × 10⁻⁹ 994.1 1.46 × 10⁵ 6.0 × 10⁻⁴  4.1 × 10⁻¹⁰

Example 6 Cytotoxic Activity of Anti-NTB-A Antibodies

Complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) assays were performed using mAbs480.12 and 994.1 on a variety of B and T cell lines as well as myeloidcells as negative controls. Human lymphoma and pro-myelogenous leukemiacell lines were obtained from ATCC. CA46 and HL60 were cultured in RPMI1640 (Gibco #61870), 20% fetal bovine serum (Gibco #26140-079) and 1%Pen/Strep (Gibco #15070-063). Raji, CA46, Jurkat and Daudi were culturedin RPMI 1640, 10% fetal bovine serum and 1% penstrep (37° C.; 5% CO₂).

Using cells at log phase of growth, 100,000 cells/well were plated in a96 well plate, in 50 μl complete media (CM: RPMI 1640, 10% fetal bovineserum and 1% Pen/Strep). 50 μl of 2× antibody/IgG₂b isotype, made up inCM, was added to each well and the plates left at room temperature for20 minutes. 2-10 μl of freshly prepared baby rabbit complement(Cedarlane labs #CL3441) was added to respective wells, and platesplaced in the incubator for 1 hr. After equilibrating plates to RT,viability was measured using CELLTITER-GLO™ (Promega #G7571). 100%l ofCELLTITER-GLO™ reagent was added to each well and luminescence wasmeasured on a VERITAS™ microplate luminometer (Turner Biosystems,Sunnyvale, Calif., USA). Data was normalized to complement+isotype.

Incubation of CA46 cells with varying concentrations of 994.1 in thepresence of complement led to potent cytotoxic activity with an EC₅₀ ofaround 10 ng/ml (FIG. 6A). An isotype control antibody displayed no CDCactivity. Both 480.12 and 994.1 were effective against a variety of Band T cell lines with EC₅₀s ranging from 1 to 27 ng/ml (FIGS. 6B, C &D). The efficacy of the mAbs in CDC assays against the various celllines mirrored the expression levels of NTB-A on these cells as assayedby Western blot and flow cytometry (FIGS. 1A & D), with EC₅₀s for Bcells up to 20-fold lower than for T cells.

Anti-NTB-A mAbs were tested in a direct comparison experiment torituximab for CDC activity. CA46 cells were treated as described abovewith the exception of rituximab instead of anti-NTB-A antibody, andassayed for CDC activity. The CDC activity of 480.12 was 10-200-foldhigher than rituximab, depending on the B cell line used (FIGS. 6C & D).

CDC assays were performed on cancer target cells from CLL patients.Cytotoxicity was observed in a dose-dependent manner in all CLL-derivedsamples tested, with EC₅₀s ranging from 9 to 15 ng/ml (examples shown inFIGS. 7A & B). In contrast, freshly isolated peripheral bloodmononuclear cells from healthy donors were largely unaffected at theseconcentrations of antibodies (FIGS. 7C & D). These results demonstratethat NTB-A mAbs are potent and selective antibodies against B cells andprovide for therapeutic intervention in CLL patients. CDC assays werealso performed on a chimpanzee B cell line, EB176, using the chimericmAb 994.1/9 and mAb 994.1. As can be seen in FIG. 8, both anti-NTB-Aantibodies were effective in vitro against the chimpanzee cell line.

ADCC assays were performed using the anti-NTB-A mAbs. Human NK cellswere isolated from buffy coat by negative selection using Rosette Sep NKcell enrichment cocktail from Stem Cell Technologies (Vancouver, BC,Canada), according to manufacturer's instructions. Mouse splenocyteswere isolated as described in Coleman et al. (J. Immunother. 29:489-498(2006)). Specific lysis of target cels was determined by using astandard 4 hr ⁵¹Cr release assay in a 96 well plate format as previouslydescribed (Coleman et al., 2006, supra). No pre-incubation step ofeffector cells and antibody was performed. Percent lysis was calculatedusing the following standard equation: ((TEST−BGD)/(Max−BGD))×100 whereTEST is sample release, BGD is spontaneous release and Max is Triton-Xmediated release. Percent specific lysis has effector controlsubtracted. Both NTB-A chimeric mAbs display ADCC activity in both humanCA46 Burkitt's lymphoma cells (FIG. 9A) and chimpanzee 5 KB167 B cells(FIG. 9B).

Example 7 Specificity Through NTB-A

Assays were performed to determine whether the cytotoxic activitymediated by anti-NTB-A mAbs was dependent on the presence of NTB-A onthe cell membrane. HEK293 (human embryonic kidney) cells were stablytransfected with NTB-A and CDC dose-response assays were carried out onthese transfectants as well as on the parental line. HEK293 cellsappeared to be resistant, whereas HEK293+NTB-A cells were sensitive toanti-NTB-A-induced CDC (FIG. 10A). When HL-60 cells, which wereoriginally derived from a patient with acute myelocytic leukemia (AML)and do not express NTB-A, were subjected to the same assay, they alsoappeared to be resistant (FIG. 10B). These results confirm specificityof anti-NTB-A mAbs: expression of NTB-A is necessary for the inductionof CDC activity.

Example 8 T-Cell Activation

Human T cell enrichment was performed by negative selection usingRosette Sep T cell enrichment cocktail from Stem Cell Technologies(Vancouver, BC, Canada), according to manufacturer's instructions. Humanbuffy coat was supplied by Stanford University Medical School BloodCenter, CA. Purity of enrichment was confirmed by flow cytometry usingCD3-APC (BD Clone SK7). T cells were maintained in complete medium (CM:RPMI 1640 medium, 10% FBS, 1% penicillin/streptomycin) at a density of1×10⁶ cells/ml. Plate-bound CD3 (Clone: OKT3, eBiosciences, San Diego,Calif., USA) was coated overnight at 4° C. in 200 μl PBS. Plates werewashed twice in PBS, air-dried and 100 μl T cells added per well.Soluble antibody [CD28 (Fitzgerald, Concord, Mass., USA); IgG2b isotype(ATCC hybridoma)] was made up as a two-fold working stock in CM and 100μl added per well. Plates were left in culture for 4-6 days then pulsedwith 18.5 kBq ³H-thymidine (Perkin-Elmer, Waltham, Mass., USA) per wellfor approximately 18 h. Cells were harvested using a 96-well cellharvester and ³H-thymidine incorporation was measured using ascintillation counter (Packard Topcount, Packard InstrumentationCompany, Meridan, Conn., USA).

As NTB-A is expressed on T cells and a mAb to NTB-A has been previouslyshown to co-activate T cell response with CD3 ligand (Valdez et al,2004, supra), NTB-A mAbs 480.12 and 994.1 were tested in T cellactivation assays. Purified T cells were incubated in the presence ofvarious amounts of immobilized anti-CD3 in combination with anti-CD28 oranti-NTB-A antibodies. Anti-CD3 alone resulted in proliferation of Tcells as measured by ³H-thymidine incorporation, which was significantlyenhanced by anti-CD28, whereas the anti-NTB-A mAbs had no effect on Tcell proliferation either alone or in combination with anti-CD3 (FIG.11). Moreover, NTB-A mAbs did not activate the release of cytokines fromT cells, including interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-2or interleukin-5 (data not shown). These results suggest that both NTB-AmAbs target a non-activating epitope of NTB-A.

Example 9 shRNA/siRNA Assays

A. CDC Assay on CA46 Cells Treated with NTB-A siRNA

5×10⁶ CA46 (ATCC) cells (grown in RPMI GLUTAMAX™+20% FBS (Invitrogen,Carlsbad, Calif.)) were transfected with 3 μg siRNA (either STEALTH™(Invitrogen) or siCONTROL® (Dharmacon, Inc., Lafayette, Colo., USA)using an Amaxa Nucleofector according to manufacturer's protocol (CellLine Solution C, program R28). The cells were grown for 48 hrs and thenre-transfected under the same conditions. siRNA sequences used in thisstudy were SLAMF6 STEALTH™ siRNA 898 5′-AAGUGAUGAAGUUGACCUUCUCUCC-3′(SEQ ID NO: 18), SLAMF6 STEALTH™ siRNA 899:5′-UUUCGGAUUAGUCACGUGGAUUUCU-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 19), SLAMF6 STEALTH™ siRNA900: 5′-UAACAUCUUCGCAAAGCUUCUGGGC-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 20), siCONTROL®non-targeting siRNA: 5′-UAGCGACUAAACACAUCAAUU-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 21).

The CDC assay was performed on cells after a total of 72 hrs. 5×10⁴cells in 50 uL of complete medium (RPMI+10% FBS) were combined with 50μL of purified 480.12 antibody (diluted in complete medium) andincubated at RT for 20-30 minutes. 2 μL of baby rabbit complement(Cedarlane CL3441, freshly reconstituted with 1 mL water on ice) wasadded and incubated at 37° C. for 1.5 hours. Plates were equilibrated toroom temperature and cytotoxicity was assayed using CELLTITER-GLO™(Promega, Madison, Wis., USA), according to manufacturer's protocol.Percent CDC was normalized to isotype (mouse IgG₂b (SouthernBiotechnology Associates 0104-01, 1 mg/mL) plus complement control (FIG.12A).

Protein knockdown was assessed by western analysis of RIPA (BostonBioproducts) lysates of transfected cells at 72 hours. Western analysiswas performed on 7.5 μg of protein (under non-reducing conditions)probed with anti-NTB-A mAb 994.1 at 1 μg/mL. Degree of knockdown wasassessed by comparison with a standard curve of different amounts ofuntransfected cell lysate loaded on the gel (FIG. 12B).

B. NTB-A Knockdown in HEK293 Cells

To further demonstrate the CDC observed with NTB-A monoclonal antibodiesacts specifically through NTB-A expression, CDC assays were performed onHEK293 cells that stably expressed NTB-A.

2.5×10⁵ HEK293 (ATCC) cells stably over-expressing NTB-A (grown inDMEM+10% FBS+L-glutamine (Invitrogen)) were reverse transfected in6-well format with a final concentration of 50 nM STEALTH™ siRNAs(either siRNAs targeting NTB-A (Invitrogen) or STEALTH™ siRNAnon-targeting negative control (Invitrogen 46-2001)). LIPOFECTAMINE™RNAiMax transfection reagent was used according to an optimizedprotocol: siRNA stocks were diluted in serum reduced OPTIMEM®(Invitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif., USA) directly in the wells. 2.5 μL perwell LIPOFECTAMINE™ RNAi reagent was added directly to the diluted siRNAmixture. The RNAi/lipid solution was incubated for 20 minutes at roomtemperature followed by addition of 2.5 mL of a 1×10⁵ cell/mL suspensionto each well. Cells were then grown for 72 hrs at 37° C. and 5% CO₂.siRNA sequences used in this study were SLAMF6 STEALTH™ siRNA 8985′-AAGUGAUGAAGUUGACCUUCUCUCC-3′ (SEQ ID NO:18), SLAMF6 STEALTH™ siRNA899:

5′-UUUCGGAUUAGUCACGUGGAUUUCU-3′, (SEQ ID NO: 19) SLAMF6 STEALTH ™ siRNA900: 5′-UAACAUCUUCGCAAAGCUUCUGGGC-3′. (SEQ ID NO: 20)

The CDC assay was performed on cells 72 hrs. post-transfection. 3.2×10⁴cells in 50 uL of complete medium (DMEM+10% FBS+L-glutamine) werecombined with 50 μL of purified 480.12 antibody (diluted in completemedium) and incubated at RT for 30 minutes. 4 μL of baby rabbitcomplement (Cedarlane C_(L)3441, freshly reconstituted with 1 mL wateron ice) was added and incubated at 37° C. for 1.5 hours. Plates wereequilibrated to room temperature and cytotoxicity was assayed usingCELLTITER-GLO™ (Promega), according to manufacturer's protocol. PercentCDC was normalized to isotype (mouse IgG₂b (Southern BiotechnologyAssociates 0104-01, 1 mg/mL) plus complement control.

Protein knockdown was assessed by Western analysis of RIPA (BostonBioproducts) lysates of transfected cells at 72 hours. Western analysiswas performed on 10 μg of protein (under non-reducing conditions) probedwith anti-NTB-A MAb clone 994.1 at 1 μg/mL.

FACS analysis was performed on cells after a total of 72 hrs. 1.6×10⁵cells were blocked in 10% human serum and stained with 1 μg of primaryantibody made up in complete medium (DMEM+10% FBS+L-glutamine+0.05%sodium azide), either anti-NTB-A mAb 994.1 or isotype control (mouseIgG₂b (Southern Biotechnology Associates 0104-01, 1 mg/mL) andvisualized with goat-anti-mouse-PE-conjugated secondary antibody (BDPharmagen 550589) diluted 1:10 in complete medium. Stained cells wereread on FACSCALIBUR™ (BD Biosciences, San Jose, Calif., USA) FL2 settingusing CELLQUEST™ Pro (BD Biosciences).

HEK293-NTB-A cells showed a sigmoidal dose response in CDC to NTB-A mAb480.12 (FIG. 13A), whereas parental HEK293 cells were completelyresistant to CDC by anti-NTB-A antibodies (not shown). Transient siRNAknockdown was used to further demonstrate the specificity of theinteraction. Knockdown by three different siRNAs caused a marked shiftin the CDC curve and made 30-50% of the cells completely resistant toCDC (FIG. 13A), whereas mock transfected or control siRNA transfectedcells were the same as untransfected. Protein knockdown was confirmed byWestern analysis of RIPA lysates from transfected cells (FIG. 13B) aswell as FACS analysis (FIG. 13C). Both the Western analysis and the FACSanalysis showed good correlation between the degree of knockdown effectand the degree of resistance in the CDC assay.

Example 9 In Vivo Anti-Tumor Activity of Anti-NTB-A Antibodies

In order to validate the anti-NTB-A mAbs in vivo, xenograft models inSCID and nude mice were developed.

A. CA46 Lymphoma Xenograft Model in Immunodeficient Mice

CA46 human Burkitt's lymphoma cells (ATCC) were cultured in suspensionwith RPMI1640 medium (Invitrogen) supplemented with 20% fetal bovineserum according to manufacturer's recommendation. CA46 lymphoma cellswere harvested at density of 1×10⁶ cells/ml of log growth phase.Harvested CA46 cells were confirmed of high viability (>95%) andresuspended into HBSS buffer.

Young adult female nude mice and SCID mice at age of 6-8 weeks were used(Charles River Laboratory). Each mouse was subcutaneously inoculatedwith 1×10⁷ CA46 lymphoma cells in a volume of 100 μl on the rear back ofthe mouse. CA46 lymphoma xenografts were allowed to establish to anaverage size of 50-100 mm³ and xenograft-bearing mice were randomizedinto various conditional groups.

NTB-A mAb was given to each mouse at designated dose via intraperitoneal(ip) injection at frequency of twice a week. Each mouse was measured fortumor size using a caliper on alternate days. Animal body weight and anysign of morbidity were also closely monitored. The NTB-A treatmentlasted for two weeks at which point mice were harvested, tumorxenografts were extirpated, weighed, and correlated with the tumor sizemeasurement.

Subcutaneous inoculation of 10×10⁶ CA46 cells resulted in aggressivelygrowing tumors (FIG. 14). Treatment of mice with various doses of 994.1mAb after tumors were established significantly reduced tumor growth ina dose-dependent manner (FIG. 14). Treatment of nude mice with 30μg/mouse (˜1.2 mg/kg) dosed twice weekly, reduced tumor growth by about60% compared to animals in the saline-treated group, whereas dosing at300 μg/mouse (˜12 mg/kg) resulted in 90% reduction. mAb 480.12 showed asimilar efficacy in this model (results not shown). No significantweight loss or toxicity was observed among the experimental groups.Similar results were seen when performed with the chimeric mAbs480.12/77 and 994.1/9 (FIG. 15).

B. Disseminated Raji Model

The efficacy of 994.1 was further examined in a disseminating model.Raji human Burkitt's lymphoma cells (ATCC) were cultured in suspensionwith RPMI1640 medium (Invitrogen) supplemented with 10% fetal bovineserum according to the manufacturer's suggestion. Raji lymphoma cellswere harvested at density of 1×10⁶ cells/ml of log growth phase.Harvested Raji cells were confirmed of high viability (>95%) andresuspended into HBSS buffer.

Young adult female SCID mice at age of 6-8 weeks were used (CharlesRiver Laboratory). Each mouse received intravenous injection of 1×10⁶Raji cells in a volume of 100 μl to the tail vein to disseminatesystemically. Administration of NTB-A mAb started on the same day ofRaji lymphoma cell inoculation. NTB-A mAb was given to each mouse atdesignated dose via intraperitoneal injection at frequency of twice aweek, and the NTB-A treatment lasted for two weeks. Mice withdisseminated Raji lymphoma cells were monitored daily for the presenceof hind limb paralysis. Mice exhibiting paralysis were euthanized by CO₂asphyxiation according to the Institutional Animal Care and UseCommittee (IACUC) regulations.

When Daudi cells were inoculated intravenously, mortality was observedin the control group by day 18 with over 90% mortality by day 26.Treatment groups showed only 10% mortality by day 26. (FIG. 16). Theseresults establish NTB-A mAbs as effective inhibitors of tumor growth invivo.

1. An isolated antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, comprising:a) a heavy chain, comprising a first variable region, comprising anamino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 5 or 9; and b) a lightchain comprising a second variable region, comprising an amino acidsequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 7 or
 11. 2. An isolated antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, comprising: a) a heavy chain,comprising a first variable region, comprising a sequence that has atleast 90% identity to an amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:5 or 9; and b) a light chain comprising a second variable region,comprising a sequence that has at least 90% identity to an amino acidsequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 7 or 11, wherein the antibody bindsNTB-A with high affinity.
 3. An isolated antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, comprising: a) a heavy chain, comprising a firstvariable region, comprising a sequence that has at least 95% identity toan amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 5 or 9; and b) a lightchain comprising a second variable region, comprising a sequence thathas at least 95% identity to an amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQID NO: 7 or 11, wherein the antibody binds NTB-A with high affinity. 4.An isolated antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, comprising: a)a heavy chain, comprising a first variable region, comprising a sequencethat has at least 99% identity to an amino acid sequence as set forth inSEQ ID NO: 5 or 9; and b) a light chain, comprising a second variableregion, comprising a sequence that has at least 99% identity to an aminoacid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 7 or 11, wherein the antibodybinds to NTB-A with high affinity.
 5. The antibody of claim 1, whereinthe heavy chain and the light chain are connected by a flexible linkerto form a single chain antibody.
 6. The antibody of claim 5, which is asingle-Fv antibody.
 7. The antibody of claim 1, which is selected fromthe group consisting of an Fab antibody, an Fab′ antibody, an (Fab′)₂antibody, a fully human antibody, a humanized antibody, and a chimericantibody.
 8. (canceled)
 9. (canceled)
 10. (canceled)
 11. (canceled) 12.(canceled)
 13. A nucleic acid molecule encoding the antibody of any oneof claims 1-4.
 14. (canceled)
 15. (canceled)
 16. (canceled)
 17. A hostcell transformed with the nucleic acid of any one of claims 13-16. 18.(canceled)
 19. (canceled)
 20. (canceled)
 21. A pharmaceuticalcomposition comprising an antibody of claim 1, further comprising asuitable carrier.
 22. A pharmaceutical composition comprising anantibody of claim 1, further comprising at least one therapeutic agent.23. A method of treating a hematologic malignancy in a patientcomprising administering the pharmaceutical agent of claim 21 or
 22. 24.The method of claim 23, wherein the hematologic malignancy is chroniclymphocytic leukemia.
 25. A method of detecting the level of NTB-A in abiological sample, comprising contacting the sample with the antibody orantigen-binding fragment of claim
 1. 26. A selective binding agentcomprising any of SEQ ID NO: 24-26, 27-29, 30-32, or 33-35. 27.(canceled)
 28. (canceled)
 29. A nucleic acid molecule encoding theselective binding agent of claim
 26. 30. (canceled)
 31. (canceled)
 32. Ahost cell transformed with the nucleic acid molecule of claim
 29. 33.(canceled)
 34. (canceled)
 35. The selective binding agent of claim 26,wherein the heavy chain and the light chain are connected by a flexiblelinker to form a single chain antibody.
 36. The selective binding agentof claim 35, which is a single-Fv antibody.
 37. The selective bindingagent of claim 26, which is selected from the group consisting of an Fabantibody, an Fab′ antibody, an (Fab′)₂ antibody, a fully human antibody,a humanized antibody, and a chimeric antibody.
 38. (canceled) 39.(canceled)
 40. (canceled)
 41. (canceled)
 42. (canceled)
 43. Apharmaceutical composition comprising the selective binding agent ofclaim 26, further comprising a suitable carrier.
 44. (canceled) 45.(canceled)
 46. (canceled)
 47. (canceled)
 48. (canceled)
 49. (canceled)50. (canceled)
 51. (canceled)
 52. (canceled)
 53. (canceled) 54.(canceled)
 55. (canceled)
 56. (canceled)
 57. (canceled)
 58. (canceled)59. (canceled)
 60. (canceled)
 61. (canceled)
 62. A pharmaceuticalcomposition comprising the selective binding agent of claim 26, furthercomprising at least one therapeutic agent.
 63. A method of treating ahematologic malignancy in a patient, comprising administering thepharmaceutical composition of claim 43 or
 62. 64. The method of claim63, wherein the hematologic malignancy is chronic lymphocytic leukemia.65. A method of detecting the level of NTB-A in a biological sample,comprising contacting the sample with the selective binding agent ofclaim
 26. 66. An antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof accordingto any of claims 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein the antibody or antigen-bindingfragment has at least one property selected from the group consistingof: a) competes for binding to NTB-A with antibody selected from thegroup consisting of 480.12 and 994.1; b) binds to the same epitope ofNTB-A as an antibody selected from 480.12 and 994.1; or c) binds to thesame antigen as that bound by an antibody selected from the groupconsisting of 480.12 and 994.1.
 67. A selective binding agent accordingto any of claim 26, wherein the selective binding agent has at least oneproperty selected from the group consisting of: a) competes for bindingto NTB-A with an antibody selected from 480.12 and 994.1; b) binds tothe same epitope of NTB-A as an antibody selected from the groupconsisting of 480.12 and 994.1; or c) binds to the same antigen as thatbound by an antibody selected from the group consisting of 480.12 and994.1.
 68. An isolated cell line that produces an antibody according toclaims 1, 2, 3, or
 4. 69. An isolated cell line that produces a specificbinding agent according to claim
 26. 70. An isolated cell line thatproduces an antibody selected from the group of 480.12 and 994.1. 71.The antibody of claim 1, wherein said antibody is murine anti-NTB-Amonoclonal antibody 480.12 comprising an amino acid sequence of themonoclonal antibody produced by a hybridoma having ATCC Deposit No.PTA-7832, or progeny thereof.
 72. The antibody of claim 71, wherein saidantibody is a humanized or chimeric form thereof.
 73. The antibody ofclaim 1, wherein said antibody is murine anti-NTB-A monoclonal antibody994.1 comprising an amino acid sequence of the monoclonal antibodyproduced by a hybridoma having ATCC Deposit No. PTA-7831, or progenythereof.
 74. The antibody of claim 73, wherein said antibody is ahumanized or chimeric form thereof.